Battlegrounds
by JenesisX
Summary: After Meteor has been stopped, Avalanche regroups with a plan to take over their very own military base. This story takes place following Irony of Fate and Interlude. Aeris/Sephiroth, Cid/Shera
1. Part One: The Plan

**Part One: The Plan**

((**Author's Notes: **This is the sequel to my AU tale _Irony of Fate_, though you should read _Interlude_ first for the story of what everyone did on their three day break after stopping Meteor. This fic was abandoned and left incomplete for many years, but I finally returned to writing in 2012 and it is now complete. There are even multiple other fics that continue the story now if you check out my profile. :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy and will let me know what you think! _~ JenesisX _))

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><p>Several hours after the reunion of Avalanche aboard the Highwind, all nine members were seated around the long conference table in the meeting room, about to discuss their next step as a team. Cloud sat at the tallest chair at the head of the table, the others lined up four on each side in smaller, similar chairs. The meeting room had clearly been constructed with the chain of command in mind, to make it clear to all present who was in charge. Cloud appeared small and uncomfortable as he looked down the table, bright blue eyes passing over his team.<p>

Tifa sat to his right, looking as excited and relieved as he felt that everyone had elected to return. He couldn't help but glance at the wedding ring on her finger every now and then, grinning as he briefly met her warm brown eyes. He almost needed to see the ring as proof that everything that happened between them was real and not just another of his dreams. How he wished they'd had more time to celebrate their marriage, and how he wanted to be able to give her so much better than the small, rushed ceremony they'd had. But in her eyes, he could see that she was happy, and that she loved him… and that was what really mattered. Perhaps someday, when all of this was settled, he could give her more.

Beside her, Barret looked just as excited about the meeting, his dark features holding a determination to continue his long battle against those who had taken so much from he and his hometown. There was a sadness about him, most likely over having to part with his young daughter yet again, but Cloud was glad to have him back regardless of his mood. Despite past differences, he trusted Barret and knew he would be a strong, loyal ally through whatever awaited them. Barret believed in their cause and would not back down until they'd won, and his dedication and energy were contagious even if he wasn't the smartest or most subtle member of the group. His courage and heart more than made up for those shortcomings.

Next down the line was Cid, who had finally ground out his cigarette after repeated requests by Aeris, accompanied by a death glare from Sephiroth when he refused. Even so, he looked more alive than anyone had ever seen him, as if ten years had simply been erased from his rugged features. Cloud strongly suspected the reason was his visit home with Shera, but the pilot had flatly refused to reveal anything thus far and avoided all questions about his time off. Even so, it was clear that he was glad to be back and just as determined as the others to continue with their mission. He loved his airship and serving as its pilot, and the adventure had brought him more enjoyment and self fulfillment than he'd experienced in years. It had also apparently helped him to get in touch with his more personal feelings, something that had visibly unburdened him.

At the end of the table's right side was Yuffie, already fidgeting in her chair and looking a bit green with airsickness, even though the pilots had kept the flight nothing but smooth and flawless since everyone had come aboard. She still looked excited, though, her eyes darting about in anticipation. Something important had clearly happened during her trip home to see her father, and it seemed like she couldn't wait to discuss it.

Across from her, Red perched awkwardly on a chair like a large cat joining his human family for dinner. Though he was still grieving heavily for Bugenhagen, he hid it well, watching Cloud expectantly with his remaining yellow eye. Cloud met his gaze and smiled slightly, and Red nodded back in a gesture of silent encouragement.

Next to Red, Vincent was staring at the far wall from without the folds of his heavy red cloak, as if he was already bored or his mind was completely elsewhere. By now, Cloud was used to his demeanor and knew he would hear every word despite his facade of oblivion. Vincent seemed to see and hear everything, even when he appeared dead to the world.

Cloud cleared his throat, all eyes aside from Vincent's vacant red ones instantly drawn to him. He swallowed hard, managed a slight smile, and folded his hands neatly atop the wooden table.

"Well, first of all," he began, starting in a very quiet voice but gaining confidence with each word, reacquainting himself with leadership after their brief vacation. "I just wanted to say again how glad I am that all of you have come back. This team needs each and every one of you, despite any personal feelings some of us may have… And with all of you back, I think we have a real chance to make this happen."

"Aww, shucks," Cid said with a snicker, feigning embarrassment. "I didn't know you fucking cared, Cl-OW!" He turned and glared at Sephiroth, bending down to rub his throbbing shin with one hand. "Don't kick me, asshole!" he shouted accusingly, though he looked more surprised than angry, wincing in pain.

"Do not use that language in front of my wife."

Cid snorted, shook his head, then favored Aeris with a crooked grin. "Sorry, Aeris," he said, surprising everyone. "I gotta work on that... Shera don't like it, either."

"Oooooh... Cid has a girlfriend, Cid has a girlfriend!" Yuffie shouted, practically leaping out of her chair and grinning evilly. She had been waiting for such a moment, and to her delight, the pilot turned bright red and lowered his gaze, squirming in his chair. "Haha! I _knew_ it!" Yuffie exclaimed, giggling and pointing at him. "Cid is in looooove!"

"Aww... shaddap," Cid muttered, almost everyone now staring at him and smirking knowingly. "Isn't this fuc- uh... _frigging_ meeting about our plans and not my personal life?!"

"Yeah, it is," Cloud said, quickly wiping the smile from his face and trying very hard not to laugh. "The point of this meeting is this... Okay, we're all back together, and the Planet is safe for now. But Shin-ra is still out there and active, so what do we do next?"

Silence greeted him, the gears turning in everyone's heads so loudly that they were almost audible. But no one spoke, bringing reality to the fear Cloud had held. No one knew... and neither did he. Cloud sighed heavily, suddenly feeling a lot less excited about their reunion. What good was it if they didn't know what to do next?! He was their leader, and he found himself clueless no matter how hard he thought. Was he going to fail within five minutes of the official re-launch of Avalanche?

"Dat's a good question," Barret said, miffed, as if it was just now crossing his mind for the first time. "Uh... anybody got an idea?" he asked hopefully, looking down the table at his teammates.

At his question, Sephiroth did something completely out of character. He fidgeted in his seat, as if he was nervous or had something important on his mind and was not sure if he ought to share it. Always stoic and in tight control while in public, his movement instantly caught the attention of most in the room. He averted his gaze, however, even when Aeris nodded to him and looked up approvingly. She even reached out and covered one of his gloved hands with hers on the tabletop, as if they had already discussed what was on his mind and she was now encouraging him to tell the others. After several long moments of being stared at, Sephiroth finally cleared his throat and lifted his head, looking down the long table at Cloud.

"I have had some... thoughts... on the matter," he said awkwardly, barely audible. Cloud would not look at him, but instead kept his eyes on Aeris at his side.

"Go on," he said tensely, telling himself that they needed to hear thoughts and ideas from everyone. No one else seemed to have anything to offer, after all.

"I... think we are going about this the wrong way," he began, sounding very cautious.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cloud snapped, narrowing his eyes. "Are you questioning my leadership?"

Sephiroth sighed wearily, as if he had expected just such a reply. "No, no... Forget it."

Aeris frowned, visibly squeezing his hand. Even Vincent quietly shook his head in annoyance.

"Cloud... let him talk," Tifa said quietly, the only one who seemed willing to risk voicing the thought. "No one else has any ideas. At least listen to what he has to say."

Cloud glanced over at her, his anger quickly fading, and finally nodded. Tifa could convince him of almost anything.

"Fine. Go ahead... Sephiroth." He always managed to make the other man's name sound more foul than Cid's worst swear.

Sephiroth said nothing at first, clearly debating whether or not it was even worth the effort, but finally sighed again and went on. "What I meant is... Shin-ra is very large, spread out across the entire Planet. We are one small group, and even with the Highwind, the nine of us cannot be everywhere at once. All we have been able to do is hurry from one place to the next, trying desperately to keep up with them, wasting energy and resources... when we could instead spend the time building them up."

Tifa nodded. "Nine of us against all of them _does_ seem a bit hopeless sometimes..."

"So what do you want us to do? Recruit?" Cid asked incredulously.

"Precisely," Sephiroth said, winning a truly stunned look from the pilot, and most of the others as well.

"What?" Cloud asked, also clearly surprised. "Recruit? How?!"

"We could always put up those cool posters... 'Wanted: Rebel Group Recruits! Experience optional! No pay, and you might die soon!' Riiiight," Cid snorted, shaking his head. "What are you on, man?" he asked Sephiroth, winning an angry glare.

"Will you guys stop making fun and hear him out?!" Aeris exclaimed in frustration, angered by the way no one on the team would take her husband seriously. Everyone gaped at her in surprise at the rare outburst. "Are you all forgetting that he is probably the greatest war general and strategist that ever lived?"

Sephiroth blushed at that, but the comment did silence the others for the moment.

"Go ahead, Seph. They're going to be quiet now," Aeris said with a smile at her husband, feeling a confidence he clearly did not. He hesitated, but finally gave in to her encouragement.

"I was simply thinking that... there have got to be more people who dislike Shin-ra. If they have interrupted all of _our_ lives, after all, does it not make sense that they have done the same to many others?"

Cloud nodded slowly. "That's reasonable. I mean, they've affected whole towns... whole countries!" he suddenly exclaimed, exchanging a glance with Yuffie, who nodded back seriously for once.

"I can't fit a whole country on my god damn airship," Cid said, rolling his eyes.

Sephiroth actually grinned at that, causing several people who had never seen the expression before to gape momentarily. Red, however, grinned back for the first time since coming aboard.

"I think I know where he is going with this," the feline said, nodding in approval and even looking a bit excited.

"Well, I'm glad _someone _does, because I sure don't," Cloud said, looking frustrated, his hands clenched into fists on the tabletop.

"Me neither..." said Barret, clearly lost, running his normal hand across the top of his head.

"It is simple," Sephiroth went on, now sounding quite confident and even a little proud of himself. "If we are to take on such a large corporation with an entire army at its disposal... we need an army of our own. But in order to do that, we first need a base from which to operate. A permanent one."

Sephiroth looked pleased in the moment of silence that followed, the expressions on the faces of the others ranging from shock to deep thought. Aeris smiled up at him, proud of him for his willingness to explain the idea he had told her about on their break. He smiled back slightly and nodded, then turned to meet Cloud's eyes.

"I... never thought about that," Cloud admitted, actually looking back at Sephiroth with something that could have _almost_ been admiration.

"It makes sense," Red said, nodding eagerly. "If we had our own base, we would be more secure. We would have room to recruit more people who feel the way we do, train them, plan courses of action... The possibilities are amazing."

"Huh... Our very own base," Barret thought out loud, trying to picture it in his mind as a slow smile began to form on his face.

"Um... Where would we get this base from?" Yuffie finally asked. "I mean, there's no way we could build one without them noticing, and it would take _forever_. And we don't have enough gil to buy one..."

"We take it," Sephiroth said easily.

"Uh... take it from _where_?"

His pleased grin returned. "That is the true beauty of it..." he said almost blissfully, as if he was thoroughly enjoying this now, doing the thing he had always liked the most about being involved with the military. Everyone else may have seen him as nothing but a heartless killer, but strategizing had always been General Sephiroth's true love.

"Shin-ra," Vincent said quietly, still staring off into space, but obviously hearing every word.

"Exactly."

"WHAT?!" Barret exclaimed. "You think we can jus' march right in and take one of Shin-ra's military bases?!"

"With the correct planning and circumstances... yes," Sephiroth said calmly, having thought this out for days now.

"We've talked a lot about this, and I agree with him," Aeris said, nodding. "We're never going to be able to do anything but chip away at them in little pieces otherwise. We may be able to stop them here and there, but by the time we can act again, they've just regrouped and moved on to something else. They have the military, they have the Turks… All we have right now is the nine of us and this single airship. We need to be more stable, so we're not always on the run and chasing them around the Planet. We need to be able to settle somewhere, recruit, prepare for bigger moves against them... And a Shin-ra base would already have all the equipment and supplies we need."

"Wow, Aeris, you're starting to sound like a general yourself," Tifa couldn't help but say.

"I spend a lot of time with one," Aeris said proudly, beaming up at her husband with obvious adoration. "A _brilliant_ one."

"Hmph..."

"Um... do you... have a location in mind?" Cloud finally asked, still digesting the enormity of Sephiroth's plan.

"I may..." Sephiroth said vaguely. "It would take some intricate planning, but..."

"Where are you thinking of?" Cid asked, leaning forward on his elbows now, intrigued.

"Junon Harbor."

"Ha! That's funny," Cid said, grinning appreciatively at the man's newfound sense of humor. "Now where do you really mean?"

"... I was serious," Sephiroth said flatly, blinking at the pilot in confusion.

"Then you're even more off your god damn rocker than I thought!" Cid exclaimed, slapping a hand down on the table. "Are you insane?!"

"Yes," muttered Cloud and Barret together.

Sephiroth was on his feet instantly, glaring down at them with anger... and perhaps a bit of hurt as well. "Fine. Do not listen." With that, he turned and stalked from the room, leaving behind a cold breeze and an uncomfortable silence.

Aeris watched him go with a sigh, then glared down the table at Cloud, Cid, and Barret with rare anger burning in her eyes. "Thanks a lot, guys," she said tensely, sounding almost tearful. "Do you know how hard it was to convince him that if he came back here with me, he'd be accepted? That when he came up with this plan, he could tell you all and you'd be mature and listen? Do you think I'll _ever_ be able to get him to share _any_ of his ideas with this team again? You're all so blinded by hate and fear that you won't even _listen_ to him, and I didn't see anyone _else_ volunteering any plans!"

Barret had the good grace to hang his head in shame, and even Cid looked down at her scolding. Cloud, however, simply sighed.

"I know you... love him... Aeris," Cloud said, clearly disgusted by the idea, "But I heard him out, and he isn't making any sense. Junon Harbor is Shin-ra's second most important facility after their Headquarters in Midgar. What he's proposing is impossible."

"Why?" Vincent finally said quietly, turning his blood red eyes on Cloud and pretending not to notice when the younger man shivered. "_Why_ is it impossible?"

Cloud gave him a look that clearly asked if he was insane, too, or just stupid. "The hundreds of troops stationed there? The advanced security systems? The fact that we'd then have nine people to defend an entire base when they tried to take it back?"

"Sephiroth had ideas for _all_ of those issues," Aeris said pointedly. "You never let him get to them."

"Well, what did he have in mind, then?" Cloud asked, more willing to hear Sephiroth's plan out of his wife's mouth rather than from the man himself.

Aeris hesitated at first, but went on after a nod from Vincent. "He thought that, if we could create a big enough distraction in another part of the world, Shin-ra would have to dispatch most of the troops from Junon Harbor. They wouldn't leave Midgar and Headquarters undefended, after all... That's far more important to them. And all Junon really is at the moment is a back-up base... more of a training facility than anything from what Sephiroth told me. Because of that, the majority of the soldiers there are older, retired ones serving as instructors, or young, inexperienced recruits in training. So even if a good number of them are still there, he thought we could handle them."

"What could we possibly do to get them pissed off enough to dispatch that large a number of the troops, though?" Cid asked. "Even if we blew up another damn reactor, I doubt we'd get more than a dozen or so..."

"Sephiroth thought that if there was an uprising somewhere, it might work... but then that would put those people in danger," Aeris said with a frown.

"An uprising in Wutai would sure get their attention," Yuffie said a bit wistfully. "But my father only agreed to keep a watch on us and act against them if it looked like he could win without a lot of bloodshed. I know he'd never support this." She shook her head, frustrated and disappointed, but knew that what he had already agreed to was far more than she had ever expected. For now, it would have to be enough.

"I'm not going to endanger any innocent people just so we can take over a base," Cloud said, shaking his head. "Maybe their lives don't mean anything to him, but-"

"Cloud! Would you stop?!" Aeris exclaimed, looking more tearful than before. "They _do_ matter to him! You don't know him like I do. Please stop acting like you do..."

Cloud looked ready to reply, but Tifa's hand on his arm stopped him, and he simply sighed and muttered an apology before continuing.

"Well, as nice as this all sounds, and as great as it would be to have a stable base of operations and more people at our disposal... I still don't see how we can pull this off."

"Man, it would be so cool to have our own base, though... even our own army," Barret said wistfully, the idea of growing so powerful having long been his dream for the small rebel group he'd founded back in the slums. "Imagine the difference we could make... an' my Marlene could even live dere wit' me when it was safe!"

"Yeah... It's a nice thought," Tifa agreed softly, a faraway look in her eyes.

"So what are we going to do, then?" Aeris asked, still sounding uncharactistically irritated. "Sit around and wait until the next time Shin-ra almost destroys the Planet? The next time they experiment on people and ruin their lives? The next time they declare war and kill thousands of people?"

"No. I don't want to do that, either, but... there has to be an easier way," Cloud mused.

"The easy way is not always the right way," Red said quietly.

"But this is _impossible_," Cloud replied, still overwhelmed.

"Or is it?"

Everyone turned in surprise to find Sephiroth standing in the doorway, a smirk playing across his face, a rare twinkle in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked tensely, having had enough of his rival for one day.

"You are never going to believe this, but... we just intercepted a Shin-ra radio message on one of their emergency channels," he said, sounding quite pleased as he stood tall just inside the doorway. "I was able to translate the encryption rather easily. According to the message, another WEAPON is heading directly toward Midgar, preparing to attack. The order just went out for all but a skeleton crew from Junon Harbor to be dispatched to help defend the city. In ten hours, the base will be virtually undefended."


	2. Part Two: Preparations

**Part Two: Preparations**

The sky always looked so different at night from high above the Planet, the stars shining as if they were just inches away but still so far out of reach. Sephiroth stood on the upper deck of the Highwind, his gloved hands resting on the metal guardrail, deep in thought. Tomorrow, he would have his chance... a chance for redemption. A chance to prove to the others that he could still lead, could still come up with successful plans and strategies, and could still contribute to a cause despite all he'd been through.

But at the same time, he was filled with dread and anger as he stood there alone, a familiar tightness gripping his chest. The plan to take over Junon Harbor was his and his alone, yet he felt as if he was no longer part of it, having shared it with the others only to be cast aside once they had what they needed. When someone had a question about the plan, he found them going to Aeris instead of him, because he had told her everything and they were more comfortable speaking with her. He had retreated into the cool night air to be alone with his hurt. Better to actually leave the room than to simply be treated as if he weren't there, he thought bitterly.

Sephiroth felt as if he had been used for what he could give and then thrown away without another thought, just like when he and Aeris had stopped Meteor. He had helped to save the Planet that day, selflessly risking his own life and unleashing the hidden power he held that had long terrified him, but found that still nothing had changed. He remained the outcast, the one no one could stand to look at, the one no one wanted around. He shivered slightly, his hair blowing around him in the breeze as the Highwind continued on its course. The only thing that warmed him was the knowledge that _she_ was still with him, just inside the airship's walls, and nothing anyone said or thought about him would change the way she felt.

A small smile caused one corner of his mouth to twitch as he watched the stars, his eyes sparkling with their own inner light. During their break, on that first night they had spent together, Sephiroth had unburdened his soul to her completely. He told her about his childhood, his military career, his dreams, his fears... Nibelheim... And she had listened. Listened without judgment, but instead with a quiet understanding and acceptance, offering her support and comfort when he needed it, listening with pure love and respect and without judging him. And even after she knew so much about his tortured past and the darkness that still haunted his mind with terrifying thoughts and taunting voices, she had stayed at his side. For the first time in his life, someone truly knew who Sephiroth was... and she loved him anyway. That was something that no one and no force in existence could take from him.

The weight that had been lifted from his soul after sharing so much of himself with her was amazing, even though so many scars remained and he knew he had a long way to go. Ever since, whenever he thought of her or was close to her side, he felt almost giddy, reenergized and full of life, as if he was almost, but not quite, a new man. Of course, that may have also had something to do with her warm, gentle touch and the strength of the love between them now that they were married and completely sharing their lives. He never would have imagined such joy and trust could exist between two people, but now he could not stand to be apart from her for very long. It was as if the invisible bond between them had grown ten fold, and she had become such a large part of who he was that he often felt as if he was nothing when they were separated. He knew she had seen him leave the conference room a short time ago and was certain it wouldn't be long until she came to check on him. So he waited there, alone with his thoughts for the moment, awaiting the arrival of his angel.

Sephiroth heard soft footsteps behind him a short while later as he stood staring up at the sky, and his tentative smile widened just a little. Instinctively he knew it was her, as if his thoughts had reached her through the walls of the airship and drawn her out to him. Still, he was unable to shake the dark mood his teammates' treatment of him had caused, and he did not turn to greet her. He could sense that she'd paused a short distance behind him, considering his current mood before coming any closer. She already knew him far too well...

"It seems your plan is progressing nicely," he said dryly, keeping his back to her. He didn't mean to allow the bitterness and hurt to slip into his voice, almost able to hear her wince at his harsh words, and sighed heavily an instant later. "I am sorry, I did not mean to imply that you did anything wrong. At least they listened."

Aeris sighed, too, finally coming the rest of the way to his side and placing a gentle hand on his upper arm. "I know," she said with a small smile. "I just feel terrible that you didn't get to be the one to explain your plan, and that they're all in there discussing it and you're out here alone. It makes me so angry, how they refuse to listen to you. You're brilliant, and they just won't let themselves see it because they're so blinded by fear and misunderstanding." She looked up at him then, and though he could sense the warmth and compassion radiating from her gaze, he found himself unable to look down and face her just yet.

Sephiroth only shrugged instead, as if that fact did not tear at him and make him feel completely worthless and unwanted, when only the day before his hopes for their return to Avalanche had been much higher. It had been foolish to think that just because Aeris loved him and they were finally together as husband and wife that anything would change for him there. But what choice did he have? She had wanted to return, and he would have followed her to the edge of the Planet and back again without hesitation. Besides, his own battle with the corporation that had funded his very creation was far from over...

"It is not a big deal," he said quietly, trying to reassure her and change the sore subject before he let on to any more of his feelings. From the way Aeris continued to look up at him so intently, though, he knew that she was fully aware he was lying. It was a _very_ big deal. But he was not about to admit that, not even to her. "What is important is that the plan will be carried out, and we will finally have an edge in this war," he went on, trying to sound more confident.

"I guess..." Aeris replied, still not fully convinced. "Maybe when this works out just like you said, they'll change their minds and know to listen to you next time." She sounded almost desperately hopeful, and he could only shake his head doubtfully, shifting his weight as she continued to gaze up at him with worry. Her confidence that his plan would succeed warmed him inside, though it only served to further his worries about what would happen should it fail.

"Maybe," he said quietly. He took a moment longer to gaze out at the stars, then finally turned and looked down at his new wife, seeing the concern written all over her face and making a supreme effort to turn the edges of his mouth up into a partial smile. He did not want her to worry about him or how their teammates' exclusion and treatment of him hurt so deeply. She already worried about him enough as it was, something he felt very guilty for, and with such an important battle coming up he did not want to burden her further. "Please do not trouble yourself with it, Aeris... I am fine. If they prefer to have me speak only through you, then that is the way it will be."

"But _I_ don't want that," Aeris said, shaking her head sadly. "I don't want to risk you starting to resent me for getting the credit for all your ideas..."

Sephiroth finally did smile then, a more genuine one that instantly caused Aeris to relax at his side. "I could never resent the one who saved my life," he said quietly, lifting one arm to wrap around her and pull her close to him, sighing contentedly at the feel of her body against his. He knew that if it hadn't been for her he either would have been consumed completely by his own madness, taken his own life, or been killed by Strife and the others. Whether she knew it or not, he was standing beside her alive and well only because she had cared so deeply for him, even when he was still in the grip of insanity, and it was a debt he knew he could never repay. Her delighted smile quickly quieted the angry voices inside his still-healing mind that screamed out that he didn't deserve her, and he leaned over to gently kiss her on the forehead. "Do not worry about such things. It will never happen, and what the others think of me means nothing. I only care what you think of me now... No one else matters."

"Well, _I _think you are the most brilliant strategist who ever lived, braver than anyone I ever met, and the man I love more than anything," she told him, looking deep into his shining Mako eyes. Sephiroth turned away for a moment, embarrassed by her words and feeling very unworthy of them, and Aeris giggled softly at his reaction. "I mean every word of that..."

"I know..." _But do I deserve any of it?_

"Good." She stretched up to kiss him softly on the lips, nearly standing on the tips of her toes for a moment before he leaned over to return it. As they parted, Sephiroth was surprised at how much better he felt. She loved him unconditionally, despite everything he had done in the past, and she believed in him. What else mattered?

"I also wanted to let you know what the plan is for tomorrow," Aeris said after a moment, leaning in close against him as they stood gazing up at the stars above. "I'm very worried about Mom... WEAPON will be within attacking range of Midgar by early afternoon, and I'm terrified something might happen. Barret is worried sick about Marlene, too. I'm sure you felt Cid turn the ship around a short time ago?"

Sephiroth nodded wordlessly. He had been confused about the change of direction at first, but after a moment's thought he knew exactly where they were headed.

"We're going to have Cid hover by the Sector 7 gate and send a small group to evacuate them before sunrise," Aeris told him, sounding gravely worried for her only living family member. "That way, we'll be unseen and they'll both be safe before any of the fighting begins. They have got to be terrified, and everyone agreed with what you told me about them potential bargaining chips for Shin-ra after everything goes down."

Sephiroth grunted, not thrilled with the thought of facing Aeris' adopted mother again so soon, but also not wanting anything to happen to the woman his wife had been raised by and obviously loved so much. He knew what it was like to lose one's mother...

"After we have them onboard," Aeris continued, thankfully cutting off his dark thoughts, "Cid wants to stop by Rocket Town again. He says he has some old Space Program equipment he wants to bring along that will help us defend the base once we have control of it. He wouldn't say anything more than that, but he looked really excited about it, so Cloud gave him the okay. By the time we fly back to Junon Harbor from there, the WEAPON will be very close to Midgar and the base should be nearly abandoned."

Sephiroth nodded again, unsure of what to say. His plan was now well underway, and he had absolutely nothing to do with it. It drove him mad to stand by and let the others carry out his ideas, to be unable to add his input, to be cast aside only to watch as the events unfolded around him. But he bit down on his rising anger and hurt, looking down at Aeris and smiling faintly as he saw her trying to stifle a yawn. It must have been quite late by then. He hadn't realized how long he'd been standing out there brooding...

"Tomorrow will be a busy day," he said quietly, studying her with obvious adoration, looking her over from head to foot and smirking slightly, unable to keep his thoughts off of his face. It _was_ late, and he was a bit tired as well, but sleep was not what was on his mind as he took in everything about her... everything he loved in the world. "We ought to go inside and... rest."

Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him then, catching the quiet implication of the words he was still learning how to express, and that she was still learning to recognize. When she saw the love shining back at her in his eyes, her smile grew even wider, and she took a firm hold of his hand and began leading him to the stairs that would take them below deck to the crew quarters.

"Yes, my love... We _definitely_ need to get our rest."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

It was just before sunrise the next morning when a small group dropped from a tattered rope ladder and landed softly on the ground just outside the gates that led into the Midgar slums. They didn't dare bring the vessel any closer this time, knowing that the city was on high alert. The only lighting came from the plate above and the hovering Highwind, providing just enough brightness to illuminate most of the shadows. Aeris gladly accepted Sephiroth's assistance as she climbed down, then nervously looked about as best she could as she stood beside him. She was relieved when she saw that the four of them were the only living beings in sight. She watched as Barret and Sephiroth also scanned the area for danger, though their fourth member had other things on her mind.

"Oh, gods... I am sooo happy to be off of that damn airship!" Yuffie whispered in the darkness, still looking a bit ill. Aeris felt sorry for her and gave her a sympathetic smile before turning to look up at her husband.

"Cid said we still have time before anything happens, but that we better hurry. It'll give Mom a chance to get her belongings together and say her goodbyes to the house. I don't think it'll ever be safe for her to come back here, not with what we're about to do."

Sephiroth nodded, having already discussed it with her at length the night before. "Allowing them to remain here would only be asking for Shin-ra to use them against us."

"I should have thought of that so much sooner... I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to Mom because of me," Aeris said, frowning deeply as the group started to walk toward the closed gate.

"Me neither if dey ever hurt my Marlene!" Barret said, his voice booming even though he was trying to remain inconspicuous for once.

"I know the airship isn't the safest place, either, but it's better than if they stay here... They're sitting ducks in that house. Shin-ra has known exactly where we lived ever since Elmyra took me in."

"I still don't get why they didn't just grab you and _force_ you to go with them," Yuffie said, already feeling better with her feet on solid ground. With the others watching, Barret began to undo the heavy metal latch that sealed the slums off from the outside world... and firmly locked those beyond it in. "I mean, how hard would it be for the Turks, or _any_ Shin-ra employee, to overpower a single woman and her kid?" Yuffie asked, looking back at Aeris as Barret cursed to himself, cutting his hand on a sharp edge.

"I... I'm not entirely sure myself," Aeris said, wincing at the shrill sound of metal against metal as Sephiroth stepped forward to help Barret force open the latch. It had become even more rusted in place since the last time they'd passed through and seemed to be quite stuck. "I think it was mostly because of Tseng... He was a young rookie back then, and he was placed in charge of 'recruiting' me for Shin-ra's Science Department as one of his first assignments. He seemed like an honest, decent man, and Mom and I were always able to reason with him, usually over lunch. I have a feeling he was supposed to do more than simply ask me to come along and try to persuade me by making it all sound like a wonderful adventure, but he never did. He would just nod politely, tell us to have a nice day, and walk away. I'm not sure _what_ he told them back at Headquarters, but all they ever did was send him back again a few months later, and the whole thing would repeat. I owe him a lot... maybe even my life."

"So _that's_ why you were so upset when he was hurt in the Temple of the Ancients, and why you healed him," Yuffie said, nodding to herself as if it all made sense now.

"Yeah," Aeris said with a slight smile. "I was so glad to hear that he made it out alive, and that he let all of you out of your cells back at Junon Harbor. It just shows even further what an honorable man he really is..."

"How can you call a Shin-ra Turk honorable?!" Barret exclaimed as Sephiroth finally snapped the latch apart in his gloved hands. "No one dat works for dat company is anything but scum!"

Sephiroth turned a pointed gaze his way. "Do you forget that many of those you now work with were once such Shin-ra 'scum?'" he asked coldly, his eyes flashing with anger in the dim lighting. "Strife, Cid, Vincent, myself... Are we all 'scum' in your opinion, Barret?"

Barret fidgeted under his intense gaze, and while Aeris had a feeling she knew what he was thinking and would have likely been brave enough to retaliate in the presence of the others, he only snorted and looked down at his large boots for a moment, even having the good grace to look a little embarrassed. It was obvious that he had not thought about his words before he'd spoken, which was so often the case. "Guess not," he muttered, then turned and stomped through the gate with obvious annoyance at having had to admit defeat.

"Hmph..." Sephiroth shook his head, reached out for Aeris' hand, then turned and followed Barret through the gate, Yuffie close behind.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

That word of the impending approach of the WEAPON had reached the population of the slums was instantly obvious to Aeris as her small group hurried down the worn, littered roads of Sector 6. They'd had to take a slightly longer route than she had

once followed every day while selling flowers, a detour made necessary to avoid the ruins that had once been Sector 7, but they still made good time. Everywhere she looked, gathered in small groups outside of decaying buildings and lining the streets, the residents of the slums were huddled together and discussing their upcoming deaths despite the early hour.

Though she could see the despair on their faces, she was shocked by how generally unconcerned most of them seemed, even the children who hung just at the edge of the groupings, hoping to overhear some of the grown-up talk. There was no panic, no outrage, only a quiet acceptance that the end was near. It was as if they'd already had no hope for tomorrow, and this was just another tragedy in a lifetime of loss and suffering. The lines on their faces and the exhaustion evident even in the way they stood told Aeris that these people had not had easy lives, and now that they were facing yet another catastrophe so soon after the loss of Sector 7 and almost all of its inhabitants, they simply could not see any light at the end of the tunnel. They had already accepted that there was nothing they could do, nothing that would save them... This would be the final injustice their miserable lives would serve them cold and force down their throats. And while there were still hours left until the attack would begin, no one seemed inspired to do anything but stand around and talk about how they were all going to die.

She wanted to run to each of them, shake them by the shoulders, and shout at them. _There's still time!_ _Run while you can! Go somewhere safe until this is all over!_ But there was no time if she hoped to rescue her mother and Marlene, and she had a feeling none of them would have listened anyway.

These were hardened, bitter people, people who had so little and already lost so much. They'd given up. They had no reason left to fight. And even if they wanted to, they were all so desperately poor that they didn't have the means to leave this place even to save their lives. Maybe the thought of death coming to claim them was almost a relief, she thought, tears burning her eyes as they passed by a group of three dirty young boys discussing who would die first and how. She had lived in these slums almost all her life, but things had never been this bad. The fall of Sector 7 had broken the last resolve these destitute people had, and now they stood helpless as they counted down to the end of their time on the Planet. Their apathy when faced with certain death tore at her heart, and Aeris knew that people like these were the reason she continued to battle against Shin-ra. Shin-ra had choked out the original town of Midgar when they built their glorious city on a silver plate high above it, destroying countless lives along with the very earth beneath them. And after all she'd seen and learned during her time with Avalanche, Aeris could no longer stand by quietly while injustices like these were allowed to continue.

"We're almost there," she whispered, tearing her eyes away from an elderly blind woman sitting on the curb, muttering to herself about war, death and the end of the Planet. "Just around this next bend, to the right." She would be so relieved when they reached her mother's house, when the sight that greeted her was the long, flowing gardens they'd always tended together and not the hundreds of impoverished and hopeless people she was unable to help.

Sephiroth nodded, still holding onto her hand and occasionally giving it a gentle tug forward when she hesitated to take in the latest atrocity that caught her attention and ripped at her soul. He seemed so cold and detached, so unaffected by what he saw, but she knew that inside he felt the same disgust at their surroundings and pity for these people that she did… the same anger at Shin-ra for causing it and disbelief at what they could do to these people without remorse. Barret was so used to the harshest parts of the slums that he seemed mostly unaffected, though the much younger Yuffie, who had grown up in a wealthy ruling family, looked around with wide, horrified eyes. She made sure to keep close to Sephiroth even though she did her best to appear unafraid. Her acts of petty theft were nothing compared to what the local criminals here were willing to do, and she seemed well aware of it.

Barret led the way in the direction Aeris indicated, and a short time later her childhood home was in view just down a narrow pathway. She couldn't help but smile, always warmed by the sight of the house in which she'd lived most of her life, even though she had been there very recently. It was the single ray of light in an otherwise dark and desolate land, the one place she'd always felt safe and somehow protected from the evils that were just a short walking distance away. If Elmyra had been surprised to see her when she suddenly appeared to visit several days ago, she wasn't going to know _what_ to think now...

Aeris bit her lip, unsure of why she still felt nervous even after her mother had eventually made a genuine effort to accept Sephiroth as her husband. She could feel the sudden tension that had crept into his mind, even his grip on her hand becoming more rigid the closer they came.

"Mom, I'm home... again..." she mumbled to herself, noticing the way Sephiroth glanced down at her and raised a concerned eyebrow. She turned and did her best to give him a reassuring smile. Aeris took the lead and was soon standing at the front door with Sephiroth at her side and the other two close behind them.

She paused for a moment, took a deep, calming breath, then lifted her hand and shakily rang the doorbell. Why she felt obligated to do so instead of just walking into her own house was beyond her. Maybe it was because she _didn't _live there any more, she realized. She wasn't sure exactly when this place had become her mother's home in her mind and not her own as well, but she suddenly knew that she no longer belonged there, that her time had passed. Her place was at Sephiroth's side now, wherever that may take her.

She had no more time to reflect on how quickly she had grown up over the last few months, however. Within seconds she heard soft footsteps approaching and squeezed Sephiroth's hand supportively as she felt him tense further. She forced a smile onto her face as the door slowly opened, watching as Elmyra peered out at them first in confusion, and then in complete shock. Hr mouth dropped open and she stood gaping at her daughter.

"A-Aeris!" she finally exclaimed, her eyes wide. "What a surprise! Y-you're back so soon?" She was clearly baffled, and Aeris couldn't help but grin, letting go of Sephiroth's hand for just long enough to step forward and embrace her.

"Yeah, Mom," Aeris said, her expression quickly returning to a serious frown. "I guess you've heard about the WEAPON...?"

Elmyra nodded, biting her lower lip and appearing very worried. "Yes, I saw it on the news last night. President Rufus was giving some grand speech about how his army has it all under control, but from what they say in town it's sounding pretty hopeless. I wasn't sure what to do, or how to contact you, and the little one has been terrified. I'm shocked to see you again so soon, but I'm so glad you're here!"

"So am I, Mom. We've come to get you and Marlene out of here... for good."

"W-what...?" Elmyra blinked, tilting her head slightly at her daughter. "For good...?"

"DADDY!"

Marlene was out the door and had thrown herself into her father's arms almost before he could react. Barret managed to scoop her up and hold her tightly against his chest as she wrapped her arms around his thick neck. She appeared to have just woken up, still wearing a pair of soft pink pajamas, her dark hair wild as she clung possessively to her adopted father.

"Baby!" he exclaimed, as if he hadn't seen her in years when it had only been two days.

"Daddy, I knew you'd come back! Are you going to save me from the monster?" Her big brown eyes were tearful as she looked up at her father, obviously terrified by what she'd overheard on television but completely trusting her father to protect her from any harm. Even though she was very mature for her age, Marlene was still only five years old, and to her, Barret was her savior from any possible harm.

"Yes, baby," he said, hugging her even more tightly. "Daddy's gonna take you up on Uncle Cid's airship with him, where no one will be able to get you."

Marlene squealed with delight, contently laying her head down on his shoulder. "Okay!" she exclaimed, instantly thinking everything was well again. "Oh..." she suddenly frowned, lifting her head and turning to look down at the woman who had been caring for her over the last several months. "But what about Miss Elmyra, Daddy?"

"She's gonna come, too," Barret assured her, winning a smile of relief from the little girl.

Elmyra turned to stare at Aeris in disbelief for a moment before managing to speak again. "I... I am? But honey... the house... I..."

"Mom, there isn't a lot of time to explain," Aeris said, glancing up at the silent Sephiroth for a moment. "But I just couldn't leave you here when the entire city is in danger. And even if Shin-ra _does_ manage to fight off the WEAPON, it isn't safe for you here any more, especially with what Avalanche is planning to attempt in a few hours. Please, Mom... Just trust me on this, I'll explain everything later. But you can't stay here any more. If anything happened to you..." Her eyes filled with tears, and Elmyra stepped forward to place a gentle, motherly hand along one side of her face. She studied Aeris closely for long moments, looking into her eyes as if trying to read her mind, perhaps wondering just who her beloved daughter had become in the short time since she'd left home.

"You've been asking me to trust you a lot lately..." Elmyra said, unable to avoid looking over at Sephiroth with still-obvious concern over her daughter's choice of husbands. "But I could never say no to you, Aeris, even when you were a little girl... You know that. If you really think I'm in danger here, well, I've never known you to be wrong about anything. I guess this is good-bye, then... "

Elmyra turned and looked at her home with sad eyes, and Aeris knew she had to be remembering her time there with her long-dead husband, another casualty of Shin-ra activity, and all the great times they'd had together when Aeris was a little girl. This place held over three decades of memories for her, and Aeris could see the mixture of joy and sorrow those memories caused written all over her face. She felt much the same, having many wonderful memories of her time spent there, too, both past and recent.

"I'm so sorry, Mom..." Aeris said quietly, briefly watching as Barret and Yuffie headed inside with Marlene to help her dress and gather her belongings. "I never wanted to drag you into my decisions, but ever since I came to live with you all those years ago, you've been in danger because of me. And now that I belong to Avalanche, the danger is greater than ever. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you because of the life I've chosen to live. I just want you with me so I can protect you..."

Elmyra smiled then, tears shining in her eyes, and she nodded her head a moment later. "I understand, dear... It hasn't been easy, always living in fear of when they would come for you again, but you know I wouldn't change any of it for the world... You saved me when I was so filled with despair over losing my husband, and you made my life happy again. And I _have_ worried, with all the activity your group has been involved in lately, that they might come here again and try to get information from me, or use me to get to you. I've been wondering if I ought to move more and more over the last few weeks. It just doesn't feel safe with them knowing exactly where I am, and probably that Marlene is here, too. Barret is a very wanted man, and everyone knows how much he loves that precious little girl. But I didn't know where to go, and I don't have much money. All I really have is this house."

"I had told Aeris that it would not be beneath Shin-ra to kidnap yourself and Marlene for use in bargaining with Avalanche," Sephiroth finally spoke up, though he still sounded rather uncomfortable and avoided looking directly at Elmyra. "With the impending approach of WEAPON, and the continued advancement of our plans against Shin-ra, removing you and Marlene from this place seemed like the only wise course of action."

Elmyra looked up at Sephiroth as he spoke, and though she was still obviously a bit uncomfortable and intimidated by the imposing figure he cut, she favored him with a genuine smile after a moment, looking rather surprised to hear that he had actually been concerned for her. Even though his words were stiff and formal, Elmyra still recognized how much he truly meant what he said.

"Thank you for thinking of us, Sephiroth," she said, and Aeris beamed at his side, so proud of her husband for the amazing progress he'd made from being mind-controlled and severely mentally ill to a man who was finally learning what it really meant to live, and what it meant to care about others and be cared for in return. Sephiroth shifted his weight uncomfortably, then managed to give Elmyra as close to a smile as he ever came with anyone other than Aeris, politely inclining his head.

"I know how important you are to Aeris..."

"I just can't believe... after all these years... that I have to leave this place," Elmyra said quietly, turning to go back inside she spoke. Aeris and Sephiroth followed, watching as she moved in a slow circle across the main room of the house as if trying to memorize exactly how the entire place looked. "I guess I always knew this day would come eventually. I always expected Shin-ra to eventually stop asking you to join them and decide to _make_ you, and of course I was more than willing to leave my home, and this entire city, to keep you safe. I suppose it was foolish to remain here as long as I did, both before you left to join Avalanche and afterwards when Marlene was left in my care. Something could have happened to us at any time."

"Yeah," Aeris said quietly, sadly shaking her head. "I never even thought of how my actions with Avalanche might endanger you until Sephiroth pointed it out to me. I just don't think in a very strategic way, but once we discussed it I just had to come and make sure you got to safety."

"I understand, dear," Elmyra said, still looking around sadly. "I'll... gather what belongings I can."

Aeris watched as her mother turned and hurried down the hallway toward the master bedroom. She could hear her rummaging about in the closet a moment later, most likely looking for a suitcase or two. Aeris sighed, looking around her childhood home much as her mother had a moment before, then turned to face Sephiroth.

"She took that pretty well," she said quietly, studying her stoic husband as he stood gazing out the far window, the colorful gardens spreading out as far as the eye could see. "It still amazes me, even after all these years, what she's willing to do for me."

"Your mother is an intelligent woman. Even before we arrived, she knew she was not safe here, but was unable to act. Much like most of the residents of this place," Sephiroth said, shaking his head. "I had never been through the slums like this before today..."

"Really?" Aeris asked, looking up at him in surprise.

He nodded. "They were not going to risk anything stupid happening to me, so I was never sent here. Or I suppose they thought this place was beneath someone as important as I was to them and their image. All of my time in Midgar was spent on the Plate. In fact, I rarely left Headquarters when I was there. I heard talk about what the slums were like, but I had no idea it was this bad. Shin-ra always portrayed the residents as lazy, drug addicted criminals who lived this way because they were the dirt of society and did nothing to better themselves. But I see now what a lie that was, how it was Shin-ra who brought these people to such misery. How blind I was back then. How blind so many people still are..."

"Maybe if all goes well at Junon Harbor, we'll have the power to tell each and every one of those people the truth about Shin-ra once and for all," Aeris said, walking over to the dining room table and absently running her fingers over the fresh flowers that rested in a vase there. In her mind, Aeris knew it would not be so easy, but at that moment her heart needed to believe it.

Sephiroth sensed that, too, and only nodded at her words. He watched as she slowly moved around the lower floor of the house and took in every inch of each room, every painting, every corner, everything about the home in which she'd grown up. He had no idea what it was like to be attached to such a place, having lived in many different quarters within Headquarters, then in Junon Harbor, and for many years in war camps within the country of Wutai. 'Home' was always wherever he happened to presently be, often spending the night outdoors in a tent, in a local inn, or even in the back of a truck while traveling between missions. He frowned, unable to understand the human tendency to become attached to objects like furniture, buildings, towns... But Aeris was studying the building as if she was saying good-bye to an old friend, trying to remember everything about it to file away and hold deep in her heart for the rest of her days. Was this how Strife and Tifa felt about Nibelheim, he wondered for just a moment, frowning at the painful images that instantly came to life within his mind. Did they feel that, in addition to the family members they lost that day, they had also lost a dear friend, a part of who they were and who they had been? Did they feel lost now, the place where they felt they belonged and that held so much of their pasts suddenly gone? Was it as if he had erased not only a series of buildings, but also a very real part of their souls?

Sephiroth lifted a gloved hand to his head and inhaled sharply, feeling shaken and starting to pace the room as Aeris looked all about, hoping to distract his mind from such troubled thoughts. He had to remain focused on their mission and could not afford to be distracted by memories of his sins. There would always be time later to think about those things, the parts of himself he hated most... likely for the rest of his life.

"Are you all right?"

Sephiroth jumped at the sound of her voice, cursing himself for being so transparent. He turned to her and nodded stiffly, forcing himself to put his mask of confidence back into place. He had to be strong for her this day. "I am fine."

"You were pacing... Is something bothering you?" The concern in her eyes burned into him, and he quickly shook his head and looked away, not wanting her to know how something as simple as evacuating a child and an old woman could trigger his memories and make him nearly ill with hatred for who he was.

"I am bored," he said a moment later, shrugging to her half-heartedly. "Women take forever to prepare themselves..."

His comment had the desired effect, and Aeris laughed quietly as she came to his side, slipping a slender arm around his waist and looking up at him with amusement. "Says the guy who takes hour long showers!"

"Hmph..."

Aeris laughed again, leaning in against him and sighing contently, suddenly feeling a lot less upset about leaving her old home behind. While she would miss it and always hold it close in her memory, she smiled to herself at the thought that where she lived no longer mattered so long as she was there with her soul mate.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Two hours later, with the sun just beginning to light up the sky, Aeris' small group had returned to the Highwind with Elmyra and Marlene. On their way back to the airship, after Elmyra had packed all of the clothing and items that were most important and sentimental to her, Aeris briefly explained the plan to take over Junon Harbor to her horrified mother. While Elmyra agreed that it made perfect strategic sense, she was terrified at the thought of her daughter being a part of it, and also understandably concerned about what it all meant for her now that she had left her home behind and joined them on their massive vessel, the very sight of which intimidated and amazed her.

Aeris had done her best to convince her that she would be fine and that she shouldn't worry, showing Elmyra to the quarters on the vessel she used to occupy before she began sharing Sephiroth's and making her promise to stay there during their mission. Elmyra had reluctantly agreed, unpacking a thick novel she'd brought along and settling in to read, trying very hard not to think about how high up in the air they were or the newest danger her daughter had gotten herself wrapped up in.

It wasn't long afterward that the Highwind was hovering just outside Rocket Town. Up on the bridge, Cid turned to the gathered members of Avalanche and smirked, cigarette still dangling from his lips as his two loyal pilots held the airship steady.

"All right... Who wants to come with me? I'm gonna need a hand carrying something really heavy," he said, looking over his teammates as if measuring their physical strength. "Hmm... Barret?"

"Sure, man!" he said, pleased to be included by the expert pilot, someone he had grown to admire. "Marlene is in her room playin' with the new doll I won her at the Gold Saucer, so she'll be fine while I'm gone. She's such a good girl!"

"Okay," Cid said, nodding to himself, lifting his blue eyes upward as he thought aloud without seeming to realize it. "Red's a big cat with no hands, Yuffie's puny and too busy puking overboard, Aeris is a wimp, Tifa can fight but she's still a chic... Well, fuck. That leaves Cloud, Vincent... and Sephiroth. Yeah, he's a pretty strong motherfucker. That works!"

When Cid dropped his eyes to face his teammates again, he blinked as he realized they were all glaring at him. "What?" he asked, unaware of how insulting his absent comments were to most of them.

"Jerk," Tifa muttered, turning to walk away, leaving Cloud to glare at him in her place. Red stuck his nose in the air and did the same, though Yuffie was too busy getting sick to retaliate. Vincent was staring over the side of the guard rail and did not react. Aeris was a bit annoyed but only shook her head... She knew he was right, after all. Sephiroth was glowering at Cid in her defense anyway, and possibly at being called a motherfucker.

"Geez... so fucking sensitive," Cid muttered, though he couldn't completely hide the blush that had crept into his cheeks. "So uh... you guys coming or what?"

"All right... but watch what you say about my wife," Cloud said, though he didn't really look all that angry, grinning crookedly at Cid. "She kicks _really_ hard."

"And Aeris is _not_ a wim- well... never mind." Sephiroth almost seemed to be fighting laughter.

"SEPH!" Aeris exclaimed, glaring up at him in mock annoyance as he attempted to defend her but then realized he couldn't even speak the words with a straight face.

"Sorry..." he said, smirking down at her with an amused twinkle in his eyes. Cid snickered as he watched the exchange, and even Vincent turned his head and cracked a slight smile.

"I'm going to get you for that later..."

"Is that a promise?"

"You better believe it!"

"I will be waiting…"

"Okay, okay!" Cloud quickly interrupted, clearly disturbed at hearing Aeris and Sephiroth speaking to each other that way. "Let's get moving, we don't have much time."

"You got it," Cid said, throwing the rope ladder over the side of the airship and starting his descent. "Come on, fellas! Wait til you see this god damn thing. We're all going to have fucking back aches tonight!"

Cloud sighed, then started climbing down after him, soon followed by Barret and Vincent. Sephiroth threw Aeris one last mischievous smirk before vanishing over the side of the vessel with the others, leaving her to giggle for a moment before heading across the bridge to try and cheer up Tifa and Red.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

For the next half an hour, Sephiroth, Vincent, Barret and Cloud stood in the center of Rocket Town, waiting for Cid to return to the group. Upon entering town, he had told them simply to wait there and that he would be back soon. Cloud sighed for possibly the hundredth time, annoyed with Cid's sly, almost secretive manner over the entire trip, and even more irritated at having been left with his worst enemy and his father.

Cloud and Barret made it a point to stand far away from their companions, as if pretending they didn't know them. Cloud kept his back to the pair as he stared at the door to the local pub, the place into which Cid had disappeared.

"I swear, if he's in there just getting a drink..." he muttered to himself, absently kicking a small rock across the ground and sighing yet again.

"Want to jus' bust in there an' find out what da hell he's doin'?" Barret asked, fidgeting with obvious boredom. "Dis is _stupid_..."

"You know what, you're right," Cloud said, glaring at the pub door even more intensely. "Let's end this nonsense and go find out what he's up to."

As Cloud and Barret started toward the pub, a quiet voice from behind stopped them.

"Cid said to wait here," Vincent said coolly, not moving from where he stood with Sephiroth in the shadow of one of the taller houses in town. "Did you not hear him?"

Cloud turned and frowned severely, annoyed at how Vincent seemed to hear _everything_, no matter how quietly one spoke or how far away he was at the time. "I wasn't talking to you, Vincent. _Yes_, I heard him, but we don't have time for this!"

"So you do not trust Cid," Vincent continued in the same quiet, flat tone that Cloud so often found infuriating.

"Of course I do!" Cloud exclaimed. If there was anyone on the team he didn't trust,

it was Vincent and Sephiroth, and he fought to keep from saying as much.

"Then wait."

Cloud glared at him a moment longer, then finally sighed in defeat. He did have a point. "_Fine. _He's got five more minutes, then I'm going in there."

"Yeah!" Barret added, as if he simply had to be doing or saying something, pumping his good hand in the air for emphasis.

Sephiroth added nothing to the debate, standing wordlessly at Vincent's side and also keeping a close watch on the pub. He was growing impatient, too, but years as a member of SOLDIER had taught him that sometimes, it definitely paid to wait. He didn't know what the pilot was up to, but somehow he knew that he could trust Cid to stay true to his word. He might have been a crude man, but Sephiroth still recognized his intelligence, and his genuine devotion to the team and their cause. Shin-ra had taken so much from him, and Sephiroth knew his loyalty to the team was unquestionable, even if he didn't like the pilot very much.

In Cloud's mind, the next five minutes ticked by with painful slowness, Barret's pacing and muttering only adding to his annoyance. Just when he glanced down at his watch one last time and was about to start heading into the pub, its heavy wooden door swung open and out stepped Cid.

He was grinning widely, holding something in one hand as he hastily approached Cloud and Barret. Vincent nodded to Sephiroth, and the two outcasts moved to rejoin the group.

"Okay!" Cid exclaimed, holding out his hand to show them all what rested against his palm. "Got it!"

"If you'll forgive me for asking, what the hell is 'it,'? Cloud asked with annoyance, looking down at the rectangular metal object Cid was holding. It was adorned with multiple buttons and switches, none of them labeled. In fact, it looked suspiciously like a television remote control that had been altered a bit.

"_This _is what is going to hopefully save our asses once we get a hold of that base," Cid said in way of explanation, though it was obvious this did not satisfy any of his companions. "I left it with my friend who owns the pub for safe keeping. Didn't want it in the same place as what it controls in case Shin-ra ever got a hold of the thing. Sorry it took so long, but he _insisted_ I have a drink first and would not turn it over to me until I did!"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Can we _please _get moving and find out what you're talking about? We can't afford to spend a bunch of time here while you visit your buddies and get drunk."

Cid finally stopped beaming, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at Cloud. "You're a real dick sometimes, kid, do you know that?"

With that, Cid turned and started across town toward his house, leaving Cloud stunned. There was a soft snicker behind him, but he didn't turn to see who it was coming from. Sighing, he started after the angry pilot, the others close behind.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Cid burst through the front door of his house, quickly looking around and appearing relieved that no one seemed to be home. He walked directly to the small room at the right of the main living area, leaving the others to follow him a bit hesitantly. When Cloud stood in the doorway and got a good look inside, he was again taken aback by what a cluttered mess the pilot's house was, various pieces and parts of multiple unknown machines and devices strewn messily about the spare room among other objects he couldn't begin to identify. He supposed he should have expected it, given that there was part of an old car sitting in the living room. He watched as Cid began moving things around and haphazardly toss them to the side, trying to unbury something that was against the back wall of the room. He tried hard not to voice his impatience for fear of what the pilot might call him next time.

"It's... erf... right back... here!" he exclaimed, hefting aside what looked like a spare car radiator to reveal a very large metallic object of some kind. It was tall and rectangular in shape and appeared to be some sort of switchbox, the kind used to store fuses and the like inside a large building… or maybe a generator. It was solid and quite large, at least two feet wide and four feet high, and Cid didn't even try to budge it. He patted it fondly like one would pet a dog as he turned to the others and grinned. "This little puppy is going to be our ticket to victory! Well, if I can adapt it from being designed for Rocket Town to working for the much larger Junon Harbor. And if it still works at all, of course..."

"Great," Cloud said, still sounding annoyed even though he tried not to. "Now would you please tell us wha-"

"Cid!"

Cloud jumped in surprise, stepping aside as the woman he immediately recognized as Shera hastily brushed past him and hurried to Cid's side, throwing her arms around his neck and clinging to him tightly. Cloud grinned at the blush that quickly spread across Cid's face and the embarrassed way he glanced around at the four men gaping at him. He appeared unsure of whether to fiercely return her show of affection or quickly brush her off to save face.

"Sh-Shera!" he finally stammered, lifting an arm to awkwardly return the embrace at last. "I uh... I didn't think you were home."

"I just ran to the store to get some milk, and when I came home I heard voices and thought maybe someone had broken in to steal your things! So I ran in here with this spoon..." She meekly held up the large wooden cooking spoon she had in one hand, blushing at her choice of weapons. "I didn't know you'd be back so soon!"

She hugged him even more tightly and Cid's blush intensified, his eyes casting daggers at his companions over Shera's shoulder.

"I didn't expect to be," he said awkwardly, looking relieved and disappointed at the same time when she finally stepped back from him and released her hold around his neck, "But something came up."

"Are you going to stay a while?" Shera asked, her eyes desperately hopeful. Cid frowned, looked down for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"Ah, shit. I'm sorry, Shera... but no. I just needed to pick something up for, ah... a job we're gonna be doing. I was kind of hoping to be gone before you got home. I didn't want to upset you and shit..." He continued staring at his feet, feeling the eyes of all the others on him and almost able to hear their amused thoughts.

"But... " Shera started, tears instantly filling her eyes.

Cid sighed. "You know I've still got shit to settle with Shin-ra, ba- er... Shera," he said, coughing to cover his near slip. "I just needed to pick up the shield generator real quick, then be on my way again..."

"Shield generator...?" Barret asked.

"That's what this is," Cid said, lighting himself a cigarette as he knelt down to examine the large metal box. He appeared about to explain further, much to Cloud's relief, when Shera's sobs interrupted him.

"Shit, Shera, don't start the god damn crying again," Cid muttered, getting back to his feet and watching as the tears trailed down her cheeks. She removed her glasses and hastily wiped at her eyes, replacing them a moment later and looking at Cid sadly.

"But I thought you'd be home soon, now that the Planet was safe. Then I found you here and got all excited, and now... You're leaving again right away, and you weren't even going to come and see me first!" She started to cry harder, and Cid looked down and shuffled his feet, obviously feeling very guilty but even more embarrassed in front of the audience observing them. He seemed equally concerned about upsetting Shera and losing his gruff, macho image.

Everyone was watching the exchange with obvious interest in whatever was going on between them. Cloud had suspected something serious happened during Cid's trip home a few days before, but the pilot had never really admitted to it. Now it was very obvious that his suspicions had been accurate, no matter how hard Cid seemed to be trying to play it cool and cover up his feelings in front of his companions.

"Fuck! Shera… Can I talk to you in the other room?" Cid glared at the others, then turned and stormed out into the main area of the house. A door was heard opening and closing a few seconds later, and Shera turned and hurried after him, still wiping at her eyes and sniffling.

"Damn, dat's rough," Barret said, staring after the couple. "But I always thought Cid kinda liked her, even though he always said he didn't."

"Love is not a simple emotion..." Vincent said quietly, staring out the lone window in the room. Barret looked at him oddly for a moment, then started curiously digging through some of the random items in the cluttered room.

Sephiroth made a small sound of agreement, having recently learned that fact all too well. He felt sorry for Cid for a moment, knowing what it was like to have a loved one and a very important mission at the same time. He felt fortunate at that moment that Aeris, too, was involved in the war against Shin-ra, even though he often wished she was not because it put her in so much danger. But he knew he would have never been able to leave her behind as Cid had to leave Shera. He had simply become too dependant on her.

Cloud and the rest of the small party from Avalanche stood in awkward silence, faint traces of Cid and Shera's voices reaching them from time to time, though not loud enough to let them in on any of the conversation. Everyone but Vincent, that was.

"Hmm..." Vincent said to himself, looking thoughtful for a moment. He hadn't even realized he'd spoken aloud until he felt Cloud and Sephiroth's eyes on him. He looked away self consciously, feeling guilty about eaves dropping yet again. It was a mixed blessing and curse he often had no choice about.

"What?" Cloud asked him curiously. "Can you hear them?"

"I... am unable to help it," Vincent said quietly, ashamed about invading their privacy but unable to do anything about it. "I believe they have reached a decision."

"Oh?"

Vincent nodded, and was considering whether or not he ought to share his accidental knowledge when he heard footsteps approaching, quietly pointing to the doorway with one finger of his metal claw.

As Cloud turned in the direction he indicated, Cid and Shera reappeared in the doorway. Cid still looked embarrassed but Shera was wiping away the last of her tears with a handkerchief, now wearing a shy smile.

"What the _fuck_ are you all staring at?" Cid demanded, pausing to light another cigarette as everyone hastily looked away, Cloud fighting hard to wipe the knowing smirk off of his face.

"Nothin' at all," Barret said, pretending he had been looking over the machinery all along.

"Assholes," Cid muttered, though he still seemed more embarrassed than angry. "Okay, we have a slight change of plans." He paused, looking around uncomfortably, then nervously cleared his throat. "As one of my original Space Program coworkers, Shera has requested to come along and help us do this. Since she knows almost as much about the shield generator as I do, I told her she can help me get it up and running as long as she stays the hell out of my wa-"

He saw Shera wince out of the corner of his eye and did the same. "I mean, ah... as long as she stays safe." He blushed fiercely, and now Cloud was really having to try hard not to laugh. "Besides, Shin-ra knows she's here, and might try some shit the same way we were afraid they'd go after Marlene and Aeris' mom. It just makes good tactical sense!"

"Of course," Cloud agreed, unable to help but wink teasingly at the pilot.

Cid coughed and flushed red again, realizing how transparent his true reason for allowing her to come along was. "All right!" he exclaimed a moment later, desperately trying to break up the uncomfortable moment. "Enough fucking around, let's get this thing back to the Highwind!"

"Wait, wait," Cloud interrupted, all business again. "I want to know what the heck it is first. Shield generator?"

"Yes, the suspense is killing us," Sephiroth added dryly, though he really _was_ intrigued.

"Oh, right," Cid said, still flustered, unable to even look at Shera without turning crimson all over again. "Like I said, it's a shield generator. A very powerful one. Powerful enough to shield the entire city of Rocket Town… and with a few adjustments, maybe even Junon Harbor."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Explain," he said, the single word sounding like an order even though he didn't intend it that way.

Cid threw him a dirty look. "I'm _working_ on it. Okay, without being overly technical for those among us who ain't all that bright, this thing can be calibrated to put out an enormous amount of energy around a designated area… sort of like that barrier that Zack and Jenova put up around the Northern Crater, but not magical in nature. We built it in case one day we had to protect Rocket Town, and Shin-ra has no idea it even exists."

Cloud's eyes were wide, and Sephiroth tilted his head thoughtfully. "So you are saying… that we could use this device to put up an energy field around Junon Harbor once we overtake the base, and prevent Shin-ra from being able to invade afterwards?"

"That's the hope," Cid said, nodding.

"Whoa…" added Barret, looking as if he was still struggling to comprehend the simplified explanation.

"I need to work on it some before we get there… try to adjust the settings for a much larger area and see if it's even possible without shorting the whole fucking thing out, or worse. There's not much time, but… maybe with Shera helping me, we can pull it off." Cid blushed again at having to admit he might actually need his partner's help, but Shera grinned widely and took a hold of his arm.

"That… would be an _incredible_ advantage," Cloud finally said, amazed. "You don't think they could break through it easily?"

"Hell no, it would take something almost as powerful as what they did to the Northern Crater, and I doubt they'd be willing or even able to pull that shit again. It did a lot of damage to their reactors and large parts of the city. I'm sure they're not even done cleaning up the fucking mess yet, and now they have a WEAPON breathing down their necks, too."

"I am impressed," Sephiroth said, nodding to the pilot with new respect. Cid smirked, performed a little bow, then turned back to his machine.

"Now all we gotta do is get it back aboard the Highwind so I can mess with it on the way to Junon."

"Um... how the _hell_ are we gonna to do that?" Cloud asked, eyeing the device. "It looks really heavy."

"Heh, yeah," Cid said, looking a bit uncertain. "It weights almost two thirds of a ton."

"Holy shit," muttered Barret. "Dat's pretty damn heavy, man..."

"I… figured all of us together could probably move it?" Cid said with an uncertain shrug, studying the device with concern. "It can't be _that_ bad with five of us, can it? We just need to lug it to where the ship's hovering, then I can rig up something and pull it onboard."

"Dat sounds kinda half-assed," Barret spoke up, surprising the pilot.

"You got any better ideas, smart guy?" Cid demanded, glaring at him with his hands on his hips.

"Uh… no…"

"Well... then let's give it a go," Cloud said with a shrug. He, Barret, Sephiroth, and the ever-silent Vincent gathered around the device with Cid and squatted down to prepare to lift it. Shera moved to the front door and held it open as Cid took a deep breath and got a good grip on the generator.

"Let's try it on three! One... Two... THREE!"

On the last count, everyone tightened their grip on the device and strained with all they had to lift it, Cid and Barret filling the air with curses as the group of men managed to lift the device only about half a foot off the ground.

"Fuck! I'm losing it!" Cid exclaimed after only a few moments, his face bright red with exertion as the veins at his temples appeared ready to burst.

"Me... too..." Cloud managed to wheeze, every muscle in his lean body screaming for him to put the device down.

"Shit!" Barret added, just as Cloud lost his hold and fell backwards onto his rear. Even Vincent looked very strained, closing his eyes and clearly struggling not to drop it.

"Let go."

Cid managed to look at Sephiroth around the corner of the device, sweat beading on his forehead as his entire body began to tremble and his face turned dangerously red. "What the fuck?" he grunted.

"Let go. I have it."

"What?! Are you... fucking crazy?!" he exclaimed without thinking, just as Barret joined Cloud on the floor.

"Just do it before you hurt yourself."

"W-whatever, man," Cid managed to say, letting go of the device and scrambling backward out of the way as if expecting the heavy metal box to slam down onto the floor the second he released it. "Holy fuck!"

Vincent quietly let go a moment later, but the loud crash everyone expected never came.

To their utter amazement, as they all sat panting on the floor and recovering from the extreme physical effort, Sephiroth kept his hold on the device, struggling for a moment before shifting his grip and slowly managing to stand completely upright with it like a weight lifter competing in the Planet's Olympic Games. A moment later, looking only slightly strained as the others continued gaping at him, Sephiroth smirked slightly and began heading toward the door, carrying the heavy mechanical device all by himself.

"Let's go... I am not going to stand here holding this all day." With that he was out the door, leaving the others to stare after him in awe and scramble to their feet to follow.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

The residents of Rocket Town were soon out in full force, rumors that the Captain had returned drawing them from their houses and businesses, hoping to get a glimpse of their hometown hero. Cid cringed as loud cheers surrounded him the second he and the others left his house, forcing a polite smile onto his face and waving at several of the gaping people as he passed.

They seemed to believe that it was he who was responsible for stopping Meteor and saving their world regardless of what Shin-ra claimed endlessly on the news every night. They had seen the way Shin-ra barged into their town and demanded Cid's beloved Tiny Bronco, and they hadn't liked it one bit. Nor did they believe the self absorbed preaching the company tried to use to brainwash them. The people of Rocket Town had long been independent, forward-thinking and rugged, and no big corporation was going to lord over them or convince them _their_ town needed help to survive. They, at least, knew who the real heroes were... even if they did seem intent on giving Cid full credit, loudly chanting his name as he walked through the center of town.

"Fucking morons, got nothing better to do..." he mumbled to himself, though part of him was greatly honored and enjoyed the recognition. He did not feel deserving of it, though, wondering why all these people bothered to admire a swearing, washed-up old pilot like himself who had done little more than complain during his time as their mayor. He would never understand it.

Shera offered him a shy smile, having caught up with the group after taking a moment to hurriedly pack some of her belongings into the single suitcase she now carried. She'd brought along mostly clothing and Cid's favorite tea set, along with a few other personal treasures. She shook her head in amusement as she walked at his side, and he could see the admiration and love for him she shared with the other townspeople. He would never understand _that_, either.

Barret and Cloud led the way, politely shooing people out of their path as Sephiroth walked behind them, still carrying the heavy device with only moderate strain. Vincent was close behind him in case he needed assistance, and Cid allowed himself and Shera to bring up the rear, doing his best to carry on the role of mayor as he passed all the people who admired and trusted him so much. It was a role he was never cut out for, but in these last moments before he left town, perhaps for the last time, he knew he owed it to these people to at least try.

As they reached the houses at the edge of town, Cid noticed the lonely old man who always stood by the long, wooden fence near one of the buildings, staring longingly at the leaning rocket in the distance. Today, however, his attention was on Cid. When their eyes met as Cid passed by, he suddenly stopped dead, an idea springing to mind as he saw the loyalty in the man's wise eyes.

"Hey, guys!" he called ahead to the others, causing most of them to pause for a moment and glance back at him over their shoulders. "Go on without me for a minute, I have something to take care of real quick. I'll catch up when I'm done!"

There were nods of agreement, and Cid indicated to Shera that she ought to go with the others. She was reluctant at first, but finally gave him that shy little smile he was coming to love so much and hurried off after the group. When they were a bit of a distance away, Cid cleared his throat, turned, and made his way back to the old man, grinning crookedly at his surprised and delighted look.

"Captain!" the old man exclaimed, sticking out his hand instantly to enthusiastically shake Cid's. "I'm honored! How are you, sir?"

"I'm good," Cid said, releasing his hand after a moment. "What's your name, man?"

"I'm Phil, Captain. Phil Marshall."

"Nice to finally talk to you, Phil," Cid said, briefly feeling guilty about how he had truly neglected his duties as mayor, largely ignoring his people and the needs of their hometown while hiding away in his house or in the old rusted rocket, tinkering with things he would never use, wallowing in his misery and chasing after a dream that was long dead. These people loved him for whatever reason, and he was suddenly struck by how poorly he'd repaid them and how little he had ever actually done for them. He swallowed hard, then forced himself to go on. "Listen, Phil, I've got a job for you."

"You... you do?" he said, his green eyes widening beneath thick, white eyebrows. His pleased smile revealed a set of too-perfect dentures, giving him the unmistakable look of someone's beloved grandfather.

"Sure do! I need to be away for a while, to take care of some... business I have with Shin-ra. So while I'm gone, I need someone to look after this town, take care of things, listen to people and help them with their problems. No one loves this town or knows more about it and its history than you, Phil. I hear how people talk about you. Everyone looks up to you and knows how wise you are. So that's why I am naming you Temporary Mayor of Rocket Town, until I'm able to return and do my duties properly. I have no idea when that will be, but until then you're in charge."

"Wh... what?!" Phil exclaimed, and for a moment Cid feared he would have a heart attack right there in front of him. The old man stared at him with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open in shock for long moments before he finally managed to reply. "Me?! But-"

"Thanks, Phil! I knew I could count on you!" Cid placed a warm hand on his shoulder for a moment, then grinned and hurried off, not giving him any time to turn down the honor. Phil was left staring after his retreating form, his look of surprise slowly changing into a proud grin. A moment later he turned and hurried into his house with renewed energy and purpose.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Getting the shield generator up onto the deck of the Highwind proved far more difficult than the first leg of the journey. Though Sephiroth had managed to carry it all the way to where the vessel hovered outside of Rocket Town, much to the continued amazement of the others, not even he could not lift it and climb aboard using the rope ladder at the same time. He was also more than a little tired after his amazing feat of strength, though he was trying his best to disguise it. After half a dozen failed attempts and much cursing, Cid and Shera finally managed to rig up a complex rope and pulley system that worked after several failed test runs, though it took every single member of Avalanche including the two young pilots to reel it in despite Sephiroth's strength.

"All right..." Cloud said when they finally had it aboard and sitting off to one side of the bridge, gathering his team around him after they'd had a moment to catch their breath. "Everyone ready?"

"Yup," Cid said, looking over one of his trainee's shoulders at the readouts on the piloting monitor. "All aboard and ready to kick some ass!"

"And everyone has everything they need now?" Cloud continued, feeling a bit like a parent about to start out on a road trip with his children. He resisted the urge to ask if anyone needed to go to the bathroom before they left.

Everyone either nodded or remained silent, and Cloud took a deep breath, nodding with satisfaction and turning back to Cid. "Well, then... Set a course for Junon Harbor, and keep monitoring Shin-ra's military channels. If we get there and it looks clear... we're going in!"

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Rufus Shin-ra was not a happy man.

In fact, he was downright furious.

A gigantic WEAPON was heading directly for his city, and his top advisors were telling him there was nothing they could do about it.

"What do you mean, the cannon is useless?!" he screamed into Heidegger's face, causing the fat man to wince and take a clumsy step backward, his president's spittle shining in his thick beard.

"I... I mean that... When Professor Hojo fired it at the Northern Crater, he completely burned it out! It's been badly damaged, and even trying to charge it enough to fire again will likely cause it to explode... and take half of Upper Midgar with it."

"So _Hojo_ is the one I should kill for this, then?!" Rufus went on, still screaming at the top of his lungs. He _knew_ that creepy old man was trouble! Why his father had allowed him to become head of the Science Department was beyond him.

"Yes, sir. Hojo is an idiot!" Heidegger exclaimed, glad to have some of the heat off of him for the moment. "You should definitely kill him! Gya ha ha!"

"_SHUT UP WITH THAT STUPID HORSE LAUGH!_"

Heidegger silenced himself instantly, snapping his mouth shut and backing up even farther in genuine fear of Rufus. He had a pistol just inside his white jacket, and in his current mood he had a feeling he might use it.

"That's better..." Rufus said, he voice suddenly eerily quiet. He next turned to Scarlet, who seemed to be trying to fade into the far wall despite her bright red outfit, and plastered a sickeningly fake smile across his face.

"Tell me, Scarlet... Is he right? Are you both really telling me that all I have left to fight off this massive monster is a few small rocket launchers and gun turrets on the roof, and _ground troops_?"

"I... I..." Scarlet stammered, nervously scraping one of her high heels across the floor. "The cannon has an 90% chance of exploding and killing thousands of people if we try to fire it. Not to mention what it will do to the reactors if we try to tap that much power so soon after Hojo overloaded them. But... but we're getting back-up troops from Junon Harbor as we speak, sir. Everyone but a skeleton crew will arrive here in under two hours. That will largely increase our-"

"_I don't care about fucking ground troops_!_" _Rufus shrieked, slamming one fist down onto a nearby desktop before turning to stare out the floor-to-ceiling window that dominated one entire wall of the main operations center on the top floor of Shin-ra Headquarters. He stared across the distance for long moments, his hands now clasped behind his back, as if expecting WEAPON to appear any second. "Ground troops are _useless_ against that thing... We need something big. We need that cannon!"

"But sir, we can't risk-"

"_Yes_, we _can_! Do you know why?!"

"No, sir..."

"Because if we don't, this entire city is fucked! Everything my father built and worked for, gone! I can't allow it! I will not have my empire destroyed!"

Rufus turned around suddenly, his ice blue eyes having gone even colder than usual, causing both of his employees to shiver. "Heidegger, Scarlet... I don't care _what_ you have to do, or what the cost. Prepare the cannon to fire in... what was the ETA of the WEAPON again?"

"Three hours, twelve minutes," Scarlet said quietly, standing closer to Heidegger than necessary as if for protection.

"Have it charged and ready to fire the second that thing is in range," Rufus said, glaring at both of them for long moments. "And if you fail," he went on in a low growl, "I will have both of your heads mounted on the wall by this evening!"

"Y-yes sir!" they nervously exclaimed in chorus, already backing toward the door as if they couldn't wait to escape Rufus' presence… even if they _were_ leaving with orders that would kill many thousands of people and destroy a large portion of the city they had lived in all their lives.

"Oh, and one more thing..." Rufus said, causing both of them to freeze in the doorway. "Summon Professor Hojo to my office. I want to have a... talk with him."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

To the North of Midgar, the oceans parted into great roaring waves as the creature known as Diamond WEAPON moved with deadly purpose, its target clear in its mind. Though it was not truly sentient, it was still aware of its purpose, and fully intended to carry it out with perfect accuracy. It had been summoned by the Planet when it was in danger, and now its goal was to eliminate all targets that were draining the lifeblood of the Planet away, killing it slowly. Ever since it had been awakened, its current destination stood out in its mind as the place it must go, the source of the greatest damage to the Planet it was created to protect. It knew only that it must be destroyed at all costs.

It knew that one of its kind had already been eliminated, but its own destruction or that of the others meant nothing to the creature. All that mattered was fulfilling its duty to the Planet from which it had been spawned. All that mattered was the complete destruction of a place it somehow knew was called Midgar.


	3. Part Three: Invasion

_**Part Three: Invasion**_

It was official. Aeris was driving him mad.

Sephiroth sighed heavily to himself as he lay comfortably on the bed in their shared cabin aboard the Highwind, his attempt at attaining a relaxed state intruded upon by his wife's obvious nervousness and tension. His eyes followed her as she made her way past him again, quite possibly for the thousandth time, moving in erratic little circles around the room as if she had no idea where she was going but simply had to be on the move. He was getting dizzy and frustrated just watching her. She couldn't even _pace_ properly! He didn't think he could stand it if it went on much longer... and no one wanted him to be in a foul mood when he and the rest of Avalanche stormed Junon Harbor in just a few hours.

Desperately needing her to stop before his tension level rose any higher, but not wanting to offend her or start an argument, Sephiroth first tried willing her to stop and sit down by sheer force of mental suggestion. They _did_ have a strong mental connection to each other, after all. When that didn't work, he tried staring at her intensely, as if attempting to bore his thoughts into her brain and persuade her to cease her endless rounds across the room. Finally, when he could stand it no longer, he noisily cleared his throat, still glaring at her more harshly than he realized.

Finally, he achieved part of his goal. Aeris stopped dead mid-route, blinking as if she had just been awakened from a daydream and was unsure of where she was. When she turned toward the sound, however, her eyes widened in horror at the irritated green Mako eyes staring back at her from the bed.

"S-Seph..." she stammered, instantly blushing bright red when she realized what she'd been doing and how annoyed it had obviously made him. "Wh-what's wrong?" she asked, even though she knew full well what she had done. She cursed herself, frozen in place at the realization that she had likely done his fragile mental state a great deal of harm before a very important event that he was already quite irritated about. She knew that his exclusion from the further planning of their mission already had him angry and more than a little hurt, and now she had gone and upset him even more. Tears burned her eyes for a moment, until his flat, yet commanding voice cut into her thoughts again.

"You. Sit. Now."

Aeris bit off a brief urge to reply with a crisp "Yes sir!," instantly taking the few steps needed to reach the bed where he rested. He leaned up against the pillows that lined the headboard in a too-perfect half seated position, his long legs stretched out in front of him. She sat cautiously on the end of the mattress, at an angle so that she could look at him. She tried not to cringe at the annoyance she could feel radiating from him, battling a sudden desire to flee the room.

"You are worse than a new recruit pacing and hopping around the back of the truck on the way to his first real mission," Sephiroth said when he saw he had her full attention. "Only I can see that you are not stupid enough to be excited about the upcoming battle. You are afraid."

"N-no I'm not!" she denied, blushing even more deeply and looking down into her lap in shame. She was married to the greatest war general who ever lived! She couldn't let him know how much the thought of battle, violence and danger always turned her stomach and filled her with a sickening dread that nearly crippled her with terror. She couldn't let him know she was so soft and weak, and she certainly did _not _want him to think she was a coward. What he thought of her meant the world to Aeris, and she bit her lower lip in disgust with herself, feeling his eyes on her and knowing he could see right through her.

"Aeris," he said, his voice suddenly much softer and filled with a gentleness that still sounded as if it was foreign to him. When he said no more, Aeris continued staring down at her hands for a moment longer before shyly looking up at him, nearly sighing in relief at the warm, concerned expression he now wore in place of his former irritation. Sephiroth lifted one hand and placed it tenderly on her shoulder, tilting his head slightly as he studied her. Aeris was unable to avoid staring into his hauntingly beautiful eyes, losing herself in them for long moments as the deep bond between them washed over her.

"It is very normal to be afraid," he assured her, gently easing her down to lay beside him. Aeris sighed heavily and curled up against him, settling into the crook of his arm and suddenly feeling much less worried despite the fact that their upcoming battle was still imminent. "I was a soldier. You were not. If you were not afraid now, I would find myself questioning your sanity, and possibly your intelligence as well."

Aeris giggled a bit at that, looking up at him from where she lay and smiling shyly. "I guess so," she said, absently running her fingers over one of his hands, thrilled that he was beginning to occasionally remove his gloves without prompting when they were alone together. "We've been in lots of conflicts before, but... this battle just seems so much more serious somehow, because we're actually attacking a base and fighting people just like us instead of monsters or someone who has gone mad and can't help what they're doing. It's probably our most important step as a team, and so much could change depending on how it turns out. But I still feel so silly... You're laying here completely relaxed like we're about to go away on vacation, and I'm a nervous wreck."

"People cope with the time right before a battle in different ways," Sephiroth told her, tightening his arm around her and wishing he could take all of her fears away. "I have always tried to relax and clear my mind, so that there is nothing to distract me from what I must do. I would often read a book or even take a nap. But there are other people who simply must do _something_ to burn off their nervous energy. Cloud was that way."

"Really?" Aeris asked, looking up at him in surprise. She would never have expected him to voluntarily speak of their team leader, a man who hated him more than she had ever known anyone to hate another human being. The fondness in his tone as he reflected on their shared past stunned her even more.

"Oh yes," Sephiroth said, a small smile gracing his delicate features. "He would annoy me terribly. He'd pace about for hours, quite like you were doing. And talk. Gods, how he talked. I often pretended to be asleep simply so he would stop speaking to me."

Aeris burst out laughing, shaking her head in disbelief. "_Our_ Cloud?" she asked, unable to picture their quiet, almost sullen leader doing any such thing, especially talking endlessly to a man he could now barely even look at.

"Yes," Sephiroth said, his small smile growing, though it was mostly because he had been able to take Aeris' mind off her worries. "Then he'd start doing squats and other warm up exercises, swinging his sword around, asking the same questions about our mission over and over. He exhausted me just watching him. He was only a boy then, so full of enthusiasm and energy. It was always difficult for me, I suppose, to see young men like him enter SOLDIER, because I knew... it wouldn't be long before the things they saw and had to do changed them, hardened them... turned them into something more like what I had always been instead of normal men. And for those who could not adapt, I knew they would be going home broken and ashamed."

"SOLDIER always sounded so glamorous and exciting in the commercials they showed on television, trying to recruit people," Aeris told him. "In fact, when I was about eight years old, I told my mother that I wanted to be a SOLDIER so I could travel the Planet and see it all like they said in the ads. Needless to say, she wasn't thrilled."

She giggled to herself at the memory, shaking her head as she wondered just how different her life would have been if she had been foolish enough to follow that childish dream. Certainly, Shin-ra would have been beside themselves with glee to see that the Cetra girl they endlessly pursued had handed herself over to them freely. Tseng would have gotten promoted a lot faster, she supposed. Aeris suppressed a shudder at the thought of what would have become of her, forcing herself to focus on Sephiroth's words to keep her mind from conjuring up terrifying images of herself in the hands of the Shin-ra Science Department.

"SOLDIER only accepts a select few women anyway," Sephiroth said. Personally, he saw SOLDIERs only for their skill in battle or lack thereof, ignoring their gender completely, but he knew most other military men didn't think that way. "I have only had one female under my command, during the war in Wutai. She was about the same age as Cloud, but far more mature and serious about her duty. She could best any man in my unit in a duel without much effort. Her name was... ah... it was-"

He paused, frowning in concentration for long moments, an expression Aeris recognized well that instantly sent a shiver of fear up her spine. As he always did when he was trying to remember something his mental illness had blocked from his mind, he lifted a hand to his forehead and frowned even more deeply after a moment, grinding his teeth and starting to breathe more heavily as frustration began to turn into panic. "I... I can't remember..." he stuttered tensely, beginning to tremble at her side, desperately searching his fractured mind for the piece of information he sought.

"Seph," Aeris said in alarm, rising up onto one elbow and placing a gentle hand over the one with which he gripped his head, knowing that if she did not step in his panic would only grow until it broke him down completely. "It's all right... Her name isn't important right now. I'm sure it'll come to you later... Just relax, okay?" She was nearly pleading with him, her eyes wide with worry, squeezing his hand and trying desperately to break him from the grip of his own private hell.

Though his posture did not change for long moments, her soft words seemed to reach him and he heaved a deep sigh, releasing so much tension from his body that Aeris could feel it flowing out of him. She sighed with relief then too, terrified that one day his troubles would overwhelm him again and take him away from her. She sent a silent thank you to the Planet that she was able to break through to him yet again, focusing on calming her racing heart before he realized how much his frequent episodes terrified her.

"I... I guess you are right," he said shakily, lowering his hand from his head and looking quite sheepish as he glanced over at her. "I am sorry, it is just... when I cannot remember information I know that I should, I feel as if I have... lost something. Something that was a part of me I cannot get back..."

"I know," Aeris nearly whispered, curling up against him again and laying her head on his chest, praying with all her might that someday, she could cure him of all his ills. "But you've already regained so much of your memory that you didn't have just a few months ago. It only makes sense that the rest of it will come back. Just give it time, my love."

Though her words of reassurance were truly meant for him, she found that she needed to believe it as much as he did. If he slipped too far and fell over the delicate edge he walked inside his mind, she knew she would be as broken and lost without him as he would become in the grip of madness. Whether he realized it or not, Sephiroth had made her feel a hundred times better about their upcoming mission simply by being there for her and talking to her, and now she wanted nothing more than to be able to make him feel better as well.

Sephiroth nodded once at her comforting words, tightening his arm around her so possessively that it almost took her breath away. "What would I do without you..." he said, so softly that she almost didn't hear him. The raw emotion in his voice left her so choked up that it took a moment before she was able to speak again.

"You probably would have had a nice, peaceful nap before we got to Junon Harbor," Aeris said with a smile, leaning up to softly kiss his cheek while wondering the very same thing about him. What would she ever do without him by her side?

Sephiroth snorted, shaking his head and leaning down to kiss her lips in return, and when she met his eyes again she saw the passion shining in them. "And what fun would that have been?"

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Cid stepped out of the private bathroom within the Captain's Quarters after a refreshing hot shower. He may have let that punk kid sit at the head of the table in the conference room, but there had been no way in _hell_ he was going to give up his luxury cabin with its own master bathroom. Fuck that! Cloud and Tifa might be married now, but they could use the public facilities like everyone else on board. It was good to be the Captain.

Feeling much better, he crossed the room and flopped down onto his bed, wearing only a pair of black sweatpants. Normally he wouldn't have even bothered, despite the fact that he'd been covered in grease and was a bit sweaty after spending hours working on the shield generator. But now, it suddenly wouldn't do to catch a nap in such a state. He'd even shaved for gods' sake! And it was all because of _her_.

Stretching out and trying to look inviting even as the thought of what he was doing made him blush a bit, he looked across the room as Shera sat at the small table in one corner, still studying and tinkering with the shield generator's remote control. She hadn't even looked up since he reentered the room, and Cid cursed himself for how insecure he felt. What the hell did he think he was doing, anyway? It's wasn't like he was trying to get her attention or anything. He was just resting on his god damn bed, and he'd showered and shaved because he was dirty and it was necessary, and the cologne he put on… well… he just liked the fucking smell of it! Why, then, was it bothering him so much that she was still engrossed in that damn remote?

He noticed that she hadn't so much as touched the suitcase she'd brought with her from Rocket Town, even though he'd told her to make herself at home before taking his shower. Did she not really want to be there with him? He was immediately pissed at how much that thought bothered him, how he hated feeling so uncertain and unsure of himself. He'd never had that problem before, and it was extremely disturbing to him.

He heard himself clear his throat rather loudly as if some outside force had made him do it, immediately hating himself for it. Dammit, he was _not _going to act desperate and insecure, he was _Cid Highwind_, the world's greatest pilot and mechanic, and he didn't need _anyone's_ acceptance or attention! Still, when Shera finally looked up from the remote with those soft brown puppy dog eyes he suddenly felt warm all over, doing his best to hide his reaction.

"Why are you still messing with that god damn thing?" he asked, making sure his voice came out gruff and irritated. "We already fixed it, and we agreed to take a break from that shit."

"I know, but I just wanted to make sure…" she said timidly, immediately looking down again. "I'm sorry, if you want to rest I'll just go and-"

"Oh, I see!" Cid interrupted, his fears confirmed. "You don't want to be here. You want to stay in one of the other cabins, then? _Fine._" He suddenly felt very foolish laying there in such a state, but his expression and tone reflected only anger. He saw Shera cringe, almost cowering where she sat, quietly setting the remote down on the tabletop.

"I didn't say that…" she nearly whisper, unable to look at him.

"Then what the hell are you _doing_? You're just sitting over there like I'm not even in the fucking room." Cid loathed himself for the way he sounded, but he had no real experience dealing with sensitive situations in any other way. He didn't have the greatest example of how a man was supposed to treat a woman when he was growing up, and sometimes even when he had the best of intentions, all he had to do was open his mouth and things went straight to hell in a hand basket.

"I'm… I was… I don't know," she stammered, hanging her head and quietly starting to cry.

The moment her first tears began to fall, something clicked inside Cid's head, and he realized that he was doing it again. He raised a hand to his head, squeezing his eyes closed in frustration. As soon as he felt weak, or insecure, or afraid, his first and only reaction was to respond with anger and hostility, lashing out at the person he loved more than anyone else on the Planet. He'd been doing it for _years_, and he desperately wanted to stop. But it was a damn hard habit to break…

"Hey…" he said, softening his tone as he got up from the bed and approached her. "I'm sorry, I'm being an asshole. Again." It was hard to admit, and he hated how vulnerable it made him feel. He came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, sighing as he felt her tense beneath his touch. "Come on, Shera, don't cry," he nearly begged her, a bit relieved when she finally managed to look up at him.

"I wasn't… ignoring you on purpose," she sniffled, managing to hold his gaze this time. "I was just… I'm… Sometimes, you make me really nervous."

Cid sighed heavily and briefly closed his eyes, feeling like the lowest form of life on the Planet. "But babe, we worked together all day on that damn thing, and I didn't even yell at you, not once. I mean, I swore a lot, but… not _at_ you."

"I know, but… this is different. When we work together, I'm… thinking about what we're doing, and you're my coworker. I'm _used_ to that. This is…"

"Still new and kind of terrifying?" Cid heard himself ask, grinning down at her crookedly as a blush colored his cheeks.

"Well… yeah," she agreed with a small smile. Her was relieved when her face turned crimson as well.

"It's all right," he told her, keeping his hand on her shoulder. "I know I've treated you horribly for a long time, and that you're not gonna forget it all just like that. I'm _trying_ to change… and do shit for you and all." He looked away, embarrassed, and Shera finally seemed to realize that he'd cleaned himself up especially for her.

"I know you are," she said shyly, slowly getting to her feet and turning to face him. "The three days you were home were… the happiest of my life."

"Mine too," Cid told her, all traces of his earlier bravado gone, stepping forward to embrace her. "And that's why I'm so glad to have you here with me now."

"Really?" she asked, still fighting the old insecurities, so unused to hearing him, or anyone, speak of her that way.

"Really. Now are you done playing with that fucking thing, or what?" he teased before he became overly emotional and said something _really_ embarrassing.

"Yes, Captain," she giggled, leaning in against him, finally relaxing in his strong arms. "You smell nice…"

Cid grinned, tipping her chin up toward him with one rough hand and kissing her softly. "Why, thank you. I thought you'd never notice."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

A few hours later, the members of the Junon Harbor Strike Force were gathered on the bridge of the Highwind.

_Junon Harbor Strike Force... Bah._

Sephiroth snorted to himself, disgusted. _He_ certainly hadn't attached such a ridiculous label to his plan. It had to have been Cloud... or maybe Barret of 'Avalanche' fame. Why everything had to have a silly, overly dramatic name where most people were concerned was simply beyond him, and just hearing it blasted over the loud speakers a few minutes before had made his blood run hot with fury. Or maybe it was more that he was still so hurt and angry over having had his idea revealed and then stripped away from him, taken over by the others while he was forced to stand on the sidelines as a mere spectator. But there was nothing he could do about it now, and seeing to it that the mission was a success was far more important than his wounded feelings.

Careful to hide his emotions now that he was back in public, he stood quietly at Aeris' side, pleased at how much more relaxed she seemed. At least he had done someone some good for once. He watched as Cid leaned over one of the piloting consoles, reading the endless streams of information it continually poured out. Shera was nearby but kept out of his way, hovering around the shield generator and fidgeting with its remote control. They were only a few miles away from the continent on which Junon Harbor and Midgar were located, and it wouldn't be long before they went into action.

"The sensors have picked up a very large, moving mass of human-sized life forms a few miles outside of Midgar," Cid said, cigarette hanging from his lips. "That's gotta be the reinforcements from Junon. I've also been listening to Shin-ra's private radio messages, which Shera was able to hack into. According to what they're saying, they have about two and a half hours before the WEAPON reaches shore, and all the troops from Junon are supposed to arrive at Midgar shortly before then. So that means that Junon Harbor is nearly abandoned as we speak."

"Great," Cloud said with a crisp nod, briefly turning and looking over his team as he absently rubbed the palms of his hands together in thought.

Tifa smiled at him proudly from his side, and Barret pumped one fist in the air, eager to get through all the talking and planning so they could move in and kick some Shin-ra ass. Red gave a silent nod, his one eye serious and his posture that of one well prepared for the long day ahead. Cid was still scanning the readings as Shera opened a panel on the side of the shield generator and peered inside. Paul and Varon, Cid's trainee pilots who had come aboard when Avalanche first reclaimed his airship, were busy holding the course, both looking a bit nervous but focused on their jobs. Vincent was nearly invisible in a far corner, as if he was uninterested in what was going on, but no one doubted that he was paying attention and would be ready. Yuffie was still leaning over the side of the vessel gagging, but Cloud knew she would be fine once she was back on solid ground.

Lastly, Cloud's eyes passed over Sephiroth and Aeris, no expression registering as he made it a point to quickly look away. At least for now, he needed everyone to get along if their plan had any chance of working. Sephiroth was glad to see he was wise enough _this_ time to realize that the period right before an important battle was _not_ the best time to settle old scores. He was hardly in the mood to deal with Cloud's attitude at the moment, and the boy would do well to leave him be.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do," Cloud said, turning to the two young pilots. "Take us about five miles east of Junon Harbor and land the ship. We don't want them to be able to see or scan for our vessel, and even though Cid and Shera have done a great job nearly cloaking us from all of Shin-ra's scanners, there's still a chance something might slip by it. Everyone who will be entering Junon Harbor will debark then, and you guys will get back in the air and hover there unless you feel you've been spotted or are in danger. Remember, you have Marlene, Shera and Mrs. Gainsborough on board, and while we're gone this ship and their lives are in your hands."

"Yes sir!" both pilots replied, though Varon looked nearly ill and Paul was already visibly sweating. Sephiroth sighed to himself, not thrilled with trusting the vessel to two very nervous young men who had only recently finished with the majority of Cid's training, but he knew they had no real choice.

"Good. After that, you'll wait for us to contact you on my PHS, so make sure you don't lose the one Cid left here for you. Then, you'll fly into Junon Harbor and land on the main runway, and wait for further orders. Understood?"

"Yeah!" Varon exclaimed, his nervous excitement unfortunately contagious to his partner.

"Y-yes sir, we have it under control!" shouted Paul, though his voice cracked like a teenager's and he looked far less certain. Still, the young pilots had come so far over the last few months and had never let the team down.

"Okay, then that's settled," Cloud said, looking pleased that so far, things were going smoothly. "Now, when we get to Junon Harbor, we'll enter through the town beneath the base. We'll try to look inconspicuous, like a bunch of tourists or something, but if that doesn't work I'm not really worried since the base is so understaffed and I doubt the townspeople will offer any serious resistance. We'll head for the elevator at the edge of town and force our way in, and then from there we'll storm the barracks and round up all the SOLDIERs. Now remember, there is to be _no killing _unless it is absolutely necessary."

It was not lost on Sephiroth when Cloud and most of the team instantly looked his way. He bit down hard on the flash of white hot anger that ran through him, feeling Aeris gently wrap her fingers around his forearm. By now, he knew she was simply offering her support and not preparing to restrain him, something that helped him quickly calm himself. At least _she _trusted him.

"These are mostly young boys in training and older men. What we're going to do is round them up and lead them to the brig. We can lock them all in there and worry about what to do with them once the base is secured."

Sephiroth sighed as everyone nodded in admiration, wondering if by this point _anyone_ remembered that all of this had been his idea, mostly relayed to them by Aeris. From the way they were watching Cloud, it seemed that everyone now believed him to be the brains behind the mission, and he ground his teeth to help ease some of his rising anger.

As if she could sense his thoughts, Aeris lightly squeezed him arm, and he turned to her and offered her a small smile to assure her that he would be all right. She smiled back and nodded her approval, then returned to listening to their leader. She, at least, remembered who was truly behind their mission, even down to the rule about fatalities.

"Once we have the base cleared, and we call for the Highwind to land, we'll unload the shield generator and Cid and Shera will attempt to get it running. And…I guess that's it," Cloud concluded, shrugging a bit awkwardly. "What's our ETA, Cid?"

"Twenty minutes, fifteen seconds," he said before pausing to light a new cigarette, flicking the butt of the old one unceremoniously over the edge of the Highwind. Sephiroth briefly wondered if the trail of cigarette butts would later allow later Shin-ra to trace the exact path the Highwind had taken. Sounded like a job for the Turks.

"All right... I guess everyone can go relax and prepare yourselves for a short while. It's going to be a long day."

Sighing heavily to himself and still feeling very much as if he didn't even exist, Sephiroth found he couldn't agree more.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Vincent found himself at the rear of the group as those who would be invading Junon Harbor made their way across the endless grassy plains of the Eastern Continent. They had debarked from the Highwind only a short time ago, but he already felt drained and lifeless. Though he had hidden it as best he could and revealed his feelings to no one, his depression had been sharply worsening over the last few weeks, and by now every step he took and each slow breath he forced himself to take were a supreme effort.

When he had been awakened from his long sleep, things had seemed almost surreal. He had been told that thirty years had somehow passed him by, yet it had not seemed real until he saw the changed world outside for himself. Indeed, almost nothing was as he remembered it, and as he grew to accept how much time had really passed it only amplified his feelings of loneliness and loss.

She was really dead. It had really been over _thirty years _since that time, and their son was really the grown man who now walked in front of him. His mind could barely accept it as reality, but his heavy heart told him it was true. He had failed the one he loved and remained idle for all of that timewhile their son had lived a life of torment. He had been too foolish to realize Lucrecia's child was also his own, and too weak to save both of them from an abusive mad man. And now, he felt the weight of those long years of near unconscious solitude bearing down on him, almost smothering him as he forced each heavy boot forward through the tall grass. Everyone he had ever known or cared about was long dead, and Vincent felt as if the man he had once been had gone with them.

Even the things that had brought him small comfort at first no longer eased his pain. Once the shock of learning that Sephiroth was his son had subsided, he had been secretly pleased by the idea. Not only did he still have something remaining from he and Lucrecia's love, but he was not quite as alone as he first thought. But now, all he could think of was how he had failed his own son and ruined so much of his life. Why should Sephiroth want to share his life with him now? He had never given his son anything, and now he had Aeris. As time went on, Vincent felt even more distanced from them than before, an unwanted intruder who had no right to be a part of their lives. Things between he and his son were so painfully awkward that for the most part, he had stopped trying to bond with him, realizing that one so ridden with guilt and so dead inside could not possibly carry out a relationship of any kind, especially when Sephiroth did not seem thrilled with the idea. Vincent could hardly blame him. And so he isolated himself and avoided them as much as he could, remaining alone with his pained thoughts and the not-so-distant roar of Chaos echoing in his head.

Some nights, the violent, angry thoughts of the creature were so intense and frightening that Vincent considered picking up his revolver and ending his tortured life once and for all. Why did he deserved to live when she was dead? He had nothing to offer anyone, and no one truly wanted him around, not even his own son. He was a danger to everyone near him for as long as he lived and breathed, the demon inside him just barely beneath the surface, using his sorrow against him to try to break free. He was so weak and drained lately that he felt as if he could barely contain it, and knew the time would soon come when he would fail and give in to Chaos' desires again. He owed it to the others to keep them safe from what he was, and he had no right to be alive when he had done nothing in his life but fail those he loved most.

Then why could he not end his miserable existence as he so often wished to?

Each night, as he lay awake staring at the gun on his night table, Vincent had found himself unable to move, unable to even reach for the weapon and remove the safety as his mind kept urging. Each time his eyes rested on the cold steel and he pictured placing it to his head and ending his suffering, he would see her... His Lucrecia... looking down on him and shaking her head, crying silent tears into the dark night. Did she want him to go on living so that he would suffer further and pay for what he had done to she and their son? Or did she truly want him to go on living for some other reason? These days, Vincent was no longer certain. Forcing himself to place one foot in front of the other, Vincent trudged after the others, an empty shell of a man with nothing but self hatred, guilt, and a demon to keep him company.

Though all he wanted was to lay back down in his familiar coffin and return to his long sleep, something kept him going. Something gave him that one ounce of strength he needed to keep going, keep living. Focusing his sensitive red eyes on the ground to avoid the painful sunlight, Vincent knew with certainty what that was.

No matter how much harm he had done him, or how strained their relationship was, Vincent lived for Sephiroth. Through all the pain and loneliness and long nights spent pondering ending it all, it was his son that made him go on. Long ago, he had promised Lucrecia that he would be there for Sephiroth if she could not, and he had failed to do so when their son was young. But now, even though he was an adult, Vincent realized that Lucrecia was appearing to him in his worst moments to remind him of his promise, to urge him not to abandon their son, to stay with him because she could not be there. As much as it was slowly killing him, Vincent knew what he had to do. His own feelings and pain did not matter... Watching over his son for his lost love did. No matter what torments he had to face, no matter how hard it was to prevent Chaos from taking over his body, Vincent would not fail Lucrecia and Sephiroth again.

As he lifted his gaze and looked to where Sephiroth and Aeris walked a short distance ahead of him, an unfamiliar rush of pride washed over Vincent, almost bringing a small smile to his pale face. This man was his son, his own flesh and blood, a brilliant general who had come up with the plan they were about to carry out. Vincent had seen what happened when Sephiroth attempted to reveal his ideas to the team, had watched in silenced as he'd been removed from further discussions as if he no longer mattered, and it had filled him with a rage that had almost allowed Chaos to get one clawed foot in the door. But his depression had left him so weakened and empty inside that he hadn't had the strength to protest and remind Cloud and the others that it was _Sephiroth's_ plan, and therefore he ought to be leading the way and giving the orders. How shameful he was... he didn't even have the will to step in and defend his own son.

He could not change the past, as he often wished about so many things, but there was still time before they reached Junon Harbor. As much as he wished to remain in his alone with his misery and was instantly filled with dread, Vincent knew it was the right thing to do. It was also what he truly _wanted_ to do despite his sorrows. Taking a deep breath and briefly looking up to the sky, praying that Lucrecia's spirit would send him the strength he needed, Vincent forced himself to quicken his pace until he had reached Sephiroth and Aeris' side.

The stunned look on Sephiroth's face when he turned and saw Vincent next to him was almost enough to make him turn and retreat back into his own world, but he bit down on the selfish desire and forced himself to keep up with the younger man and his wife.

"Is everything all right, Vincent?" Aeris finally said when neither of the men made an attempt to fill the awkward silence, smiling widely but clearly looking a bit worried as well.

Vincent knew that over the last few weeks he had done great harm to even the weak bond he had managed to form with them before, his depression and feelings of guilt preventing him from reaching out to anyone no matter how badly he might wish to. He swallowed hard, fighting yet another urge to flee, and forced himself to nod to her. He only hoped that she could not see through him and realize just how poorly he was faring, trying his best to stand up just a bit straighter and appear as if he was fine when he really felt so weak he could easily have collapsed.

"Yes," he said flatly, cringing at how unconvincing his near-whisper sounded even to him. He pulled his cloak around himself just a bit closer. "I, ah... just wanted to say something to Sephiroth." He cleared his throat uncomfortably when he saw Sephiroth arch one eyebrow in surprise.

"Oh?" his son asked, sounding quite wary and unsure of himself as he studied Vincent out of the corner of his eye. "What is it?" Vincent nearly cringed at his almost demanding tone, but tried to reassure himself with the thought that it was simply Sephiroth's nature.

"Yes, I..." he began awkwardly, his eyes on the ground again as the three of them continued walking. "I... wanted to say that... I am proud of you."

"You… you are? For what?" Sephiroth sounded so surprised that at one time, Vincent would have laughed. He reminded him so much of Lucrecia, who was also never quite comfortable accepting praise or compliments.

"Of course I am. You have come up with a brilliant plan, one that may turn the tide against Shin-ra once once for all and take Avalanche to a level it never would have otherwise reached."

"That is not what everyone else thinks." Sephiroth snorted bitterly, and Vincent was pleased to see Aeris slip a comforting arm around his waist. He was quite certain his son would not still be with them if not for her, and he hoped she realized how grateful he was.

"I have seen what happened, yes," Vincent said, biting down on his own anger for fear that it would only excite Chaos. "They had no right to refuse to hear you out and treat you so poorly. Cloud is still quite spiteful and immature, and the others tend to follow his lead. But rest assured that I, at least, know who is the true genius behind this mission, and when we emerge victorious you will receive all of the credit in my eyes."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence then, both Vincent and Sephiroth staring at their feet as they continued walking, though Aeris now wore a smile so wide that Vincent could almost hear it. Finally, after receiving an elbow in the ribs from his wife Vincent knew he was not meant to see, Sephiroth coughed uncomfortably, then forced himself to speak.

"Thank you," he said quietly, his words awkward but the feelings behind them genuine. "That... means a lot to me."

Vincent found he could only nod, not knowing what else to say. Being a father was still new to him, and he was hardly in any condition to do the job properly. But he had tried his best to make his son feel better about the way the team had treated him, and to let him know he was behind him and proud of him. And for now, that was the best Vincent could do.

Gradually, Vincent slowed his pace and allowed himself to fall behind the couple again, sinking back into his own personal hell, empty inside other than the powerful thoughts of Chaos echoing through his mind. Hopefully, his words had provided his son with some comfort and reassurance, and let him know that his father would always be there for him. Hopefully, it would be enough to make sure Sephiroth would never have to know the hell it was to be Vincent Valentine.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"Well, here we are," Cloud said quietly, his team stopping at the entrance to the small fishing town of Junon Harbor a short while later. "Wow... it's even worse than last time we were here."

"Ew! It stinks!" Yuffie exclaimed, instantly starting to gag and pinching her nose shut between two small fingers. "Gross!" she added, her voice comically distorted.

"Oh, no..." Aeris nearly whispered, turning away from the others and jogging to the water's edge. "It's sopolluted... Look at all the dead fish!" Her eyes filled with tears as she stared down into the murky water, the littered shoreline covered in death. Sephiroth stood stoically at her side, but his concern for her was obvious as he followed her gaze.

"This is a disgrace," Red said, anger creeping into his usually calm voice. "How can they do this to the Planet? Do they not realize what serious effects this has?"

"All dey see is power an' money!" Barret exclaimed, shaking his head in disgust. "Dey don't care what dey do to da fishes and da birds and da water! Dey need power for dis base, and they don' give a _shit _what it does to da Planet as long as dey get it!"

"This is what I'm afraid might happen to Wutai," Yuffie said softly, still holding her nose and looking green from the foul odor of dead sea life and polluted water. "If Shin-ra wanted to come in and start building bases and reactors in our beautiful unpolluted land, we'd have to _let_ them or fight another war, and I already know what my father would do." She sighed heavily, biting her lower lip in frustration and anger. "It's not _fair_..."

"Hopefully, after today, that won't ever happen," Cloud said, hoping to reassure the young ninja. She nodded to him, serious for once, and seemed to feel a bit better.

"We'd best not delay much longer," Red said, forcing himself to look away from the atrocities surrounding them. "We may attract unwanted attention."

Soon, everyone but Aeris was following Cloud's lead into town. She stood motionless, staring down into the blackened water with tears running down her cheeks, visibly trembling as the Planet spoke to her and shared its pain. Sephiroth stood at her side, realizing by now what was wrong but unsure of what to do to help her. He finally slipped a supportive arm around her waist and slowly led her away.

It was soon obvious that the rest of Junon Harbor Town was in just as bad a condition as the harbor itself. The smell of death and pollution did not lessen as they walked among the dilapidated, weathered old buildings that lined the worn main road through town. Several buildings, which had obviously been businesses judging by the signs hanging out front, were abandoned and boarded up, and multiple fishing boats lay upside down and unused. The streets were devoid of life and silent other than the creaking of a rusty old sign that hung on one of the few buildings that still seemed to be in use.

"Look, Cloud! A dress shop!" Tifa exclaimed, pointing to the silhouette of a woman's outfit that adorned the sign. She burst into a fit of giggles, and even Aeris, still shaken by what she was experiencing, began to laugh as well. Cloud turned bright red and threw them both a look that could kill, which only made the two women laugh harder.

Sephiroth glanced sideways at Cid, who looked back with the same confused, curious expression.

"Beats the hell out of me," Cid said, shrugging his shoulders. "Always did wonder if that kid was a little fruity, though. Ha!"

Sephiroth only shook his head, still frowning and wondering what the joke was about. He would have to ask Aeris later. Some ammunition to use against Cloud that didn't involve killing him could be useful…

"All right, all right," Cloud muttered, feeling the eyes of the entire group on the back of his head as he led the way. "Let's be serious here."

"Yes, ma'am! I mean, sir!" Tifa replied, winning another glare and fighting hard not to double over with laughter. She quickly managed to compose herself, slipping her arm through Cloud's as if to make sure he wasn't really mad at her. If nothing else, her sense of humor had helped to lighten the depressing mood a little, especially for Aeris, the one most affected by their surroundings.

"I suppose all the pollution has put the fishermen out of business," Red observed, looking around at the impoverished town and shaking his head sadly. "I doubt anything edible is still alive in those waters, and these people had no other income. Or food source for that matter," he added, pointing out a few small gardens the remaining residents had attempted to cultivate beside their houses. But even the land was too polluted, and what few plants had managed to grow were already withered and dying.

"Oh, these poor people!" Aeris exclaimed, lifting a hand to her forehead and looking around in horror again. Sephiroth was quickly at her side, staying close to support her if the suffering she was sharing with the Planet became too much. "We have to do something to help them!"

"Well, once we have the base... We will do everything in our power to fix all this," Cloud said with determination, meaning every word but also wanting to comfort Aeris.

"We need the support of these people, and the fastest way to win it would be to help them improve their situation," Sephiroth added, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder as tears filled her eyes again. "Not that we would not also help for unselfish reasons, of course."

"Of course..." Cloud said, the bitterness not lost in his comment. Sephiroth's features tightened into an angry frown, but all it took was an almost invisible shake of Aeris' head that no one else noticed to prevent him from replying.

"It's too quiet," Yuffie said as they continued down the street as a group, looking about suspiciously while still holding her nose.

"Would you wanna be outside if your town smelled like dis?" asked Barret, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Even da worst of da slums never smelled dis bad."

"Hell, no!" she exclaimed. "I'd _move_!"

"Looks like a lot of people already have," Cid remarked as he looked around. "It's practically a fucking ghost town."

"Not everyone can afford to just pick up and move, though, Yuffie," Tifa said. "Why do you think the people in the Midgar slums stay there? No one _wants_ to live that way."

"Very true," Red agreed.

About halfway down the road, the eerie silence of the town was suddenly broken by the loud creak of a door opening, the chilling sound echoing into the stale air. Cloud held up a hand and slowed his pace, scanning the buildings around him for the source.

"There," Vincent said quietly a second later, pointing his clawed hand toward a small, two story house just up a path to their right. "An elderly man."

Everyone turned in the direction he indicated, soon spotting the figure who was emerging from his home and heading right toward them.

"Hey you!" he called loudly, sounding excited. "Wait!"

"Great," Cloud muttered. "We better hurry and see what he wants before he lets the whole base know we're here."

The others nodded in agreement, and the large group of very suspicious looking people made their way over to the old man as casually as possible, though most of them realized that Cloud's plan to pass them off as tourists was _not _going to work. When they reached the man he smiled widely, revealing several missing teeth. His face was covered in white whiskers and his head was nearly bald, but despite his frail appearance, there was a strength about him, a fight still burning inside his aging body that shone through in his clear blue eyes.

"I _knew_ it!" he exclaimed, focusing in on Cloud. "You're that boy who saved my granddaughter's life!"

"Uh... I..." Cloud stammered, not wanting to reveal his identity even though he realized it was futile. "Well... yeah," he finally admitted, remembering well the day he had saved a young girl named Priscilla from drowning in the harbor.

"Oh!" the old man exclaimed, suddenly reaching out for Cloud's hand and pumping it vigorously in his own extremely wrinkled one. "I always wanted to get to thank you properly! Thank you _so much _for saving her!" The old man then stepped forward and gave the very surprised Cloud an enthusiastic bear hug, causing several people to snicker at the uncomfortable expression on his face, and the relief that soon followed when he was released.

"You're welcome," Cloud said bashfully, looking down at the ground for a moment.

"She hasn't stopped talking about you since!" the old man said, grinning widely. "She tells everyone she's going to marry you some day. Haha!"

Cloud winced, and Tifa started giggling, trying to smother it by covering her mouth and coughing. "I, um... I'm flattered," Cloud managed, his face bright red.

"You should be, because that girl is a beauty!" the old man said with a wink, obvious pride washing over him. "But anyways... What brings you here again?" He paused, finally looking over Cloud's companions and appearing to do a head count, taking note of the weapons and equipment everyone carried as the gears visibly turned in his head. "You know, I recognize some of you from the news..." he said slowly, lifting one gnarled hand to his chin. "You all are _Avalanche!_"he exclaimed in nearly a whisper, his wise eyes lighting up with excitement. "Are you here to take over the base?!"

"Wh-what?!" Cloud exclaimed in shock, Tifa gasping at his side and several alarmed curses originating at the rear of the group.

"How did you kno- er... Oops," Yuffie said, blushing fiercely and quickly trying to hide behind Cid.

"I knew it! I _knew _it!" the old man exclaimed, performing an excited little dance that looked ridiculous for one his age. "Suddenly all the troops are called off to go somewhere else, then you all appear right afterward! You're going to free us!"

"I, uh... well..." Cloud stammered, looking like a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Shit…"

"Let me handle this."

Sephiroth made his way to the front of the group, ignoring the worried looks being passed his way, stepping in front of Cloud to stand before the old man. He looked down at him from his much greater height, and though he did not mean to intimidate the senior, he could see him shaking slightly.

_Tourists indeed_, Sephiroth thought with disgust, mentally rolling his eyes. _No, _this _is how it is done, Cloud. Watch and learn…_

"S-Sephiroth! But they said you were dead!"

"Obviously, someone made a mistake," he said with a small smirk. "That is unimportant, however. You must listen to me. If you want Shin-ra gone from your town and would like assistance in cleaning up the harbor, you must not speak of this to anyone. We intend to capture the base for our own use, and once we do your town will suffer no longer. I promise you, once we are victorious your town will experience a grand rebirth, and the pollution of your air and waters will cease. Will you remain silent and allow us to do this so that we can help you?"

The old man's eyes were positively aglow with delight. "Oh, how I have _prayed_ that this day would come in my lifetime, in my Priscilla's life time! There's been nothing even this entire town could do to get the Shin-ra out of here, and no one ever seemed to want to help us before. I will do whatever I can to aid you if you would _please_ save my town." Tears glistened in his eyes, and Sephiroth nodded, satisfied that he was genuine. The old man clearly loved his hometown and his family and would have done anything that was asked of him.

"We will. You have my word," Sephiroth said, fighting to ignore a few snorts that greeted his remark. "What is your name, sir?"

"Joseph Fisher," the man said, causing Yuffie to giggle until Cid elbowed her. "I'm the mayor of this town... I've lived here all my life!" Sephiroth politely shook his hand, then looked ahead to the base that loomed over the town.

"We must go now," he said, the old man nodding his understanding. "When we are finished in the base, I will return and report to you what has happened. For now, please tell everyone to stay indoors. Once the base is secured, we can begin to help you."

"Oh, thank you so much," he repeated. "I just wish there was something I could do to help."

"Allowing us passage through your town is more than enough," Sephiroth assured him, his voice clear and confident, completely in his element.

"Good luck, then," Joseph said, still looking tearful yet very excited. "The fate of Junon Harbor Town depends on you."

"I know, and we won't fail you," Cloud assured the man, standing up as tall as he could and seeming a bit desperate to take back leadership of the group. "All right, everyone, let's move!"

"That was _amazing,_" Aeris whispered to Sephiroth as Cloud stepped ahead of everyone and led the way toward the farthest end of the small town, where the main elevator and only entrance into the base from land was located. No one else seemed willing to acknowledge what he had just done, and she was going to make sure he realized how impressed she was.

"It was simply common sense." Sephiroth could only imagine how she must feel with so much suffering around her, knowing that the Planet spoke to her of its pain whether she wanted to listen or not. That fact alone had inspired his promise to the old man, far more than any tactical reasons… though he would not admit that, even to her.

Aeris shook her head and smiled at his modesty. "No, it was much more than that. I want to help these people so badly," she said, as if somehow, she _knew_. He tried not to look alarmed, still unnerved by the way she seemed able to tap into his mind.

"After this battle, we can," Sephiroth assured her after a pause, winning an adoring smile from his wife and feeling a bit less concerned about her. She was so much stronger than she knew, and she would hold herself together for the team.

Soon, the lift was in view, and the group slowed their approach, ducking into the shadows of one of the town's taller buildings and peering ahead at the single soldier standing guard.

"Oh, _easy!_" Yuffie exclaimed, making a move to charge forward before Vincent roughly grabbed a hold of her arm. "Ow-!" Her voice was muffled as he clamped his good hand over her mouth an instant later.

"Silence. Do you want to alert him and cause him to trigger an alarm?"

Yuffie shook her head no, though her eyes were alive with anger and a touch of fear. It was obvious that she had not even thought of that.

"Then be quiet."

Vincent removed his hand then, and Yuffie stuck out her tongue, though thankfully she did remain silent.

"I have an idea on how we can get in without causing a stir," Tifa said, turning to Cloud and grinning slightly. "May I?" she asked, gesturing toward the guard.

"All right, but be careful..." Cloud said, trusting her completely but still concerned for his wife's safety. She nodded confidently, took a moment to kiss his cheek, then went into action.

Everyone watched as Tifa left their hiding place and slowly approached the guard, putting on a very impressive act of a young woman lost and unsure of what to do. Slowly, she approached the guard, who was obviously very engrossed in reading a dirty magazine and didn't notice her until she was nearly at his side. He jumped in alarm when he saw her, hastily making a fumbling attempt to hide his copy of the latest _Play SOLDIER_ when suddenly faced with such a beautiful, real young woman.

"Well, hello there," the man said, blushing but quickly recovering his composure. Tifa realized that he couldn't have been any older than seventeen or eighteen. "What can I do for you, honey?"

Tifa fought off disgust at being addressed that way, and at the way he was very obviously staring at her ample chest, forcing a clueless look across her face as if her intelligence was even lower than that of the women he'd just been gawking at.

"I was looking for my uncle's house, but I seem to have gotten terribly lost," she said, making it a point to lean toward him a bit to further distract him with her womanly gifts. _If you've got it, why not use it… _"I don't know _what _to do now... Can you help me?"

The man didn't seem to hear her for long moments, still absorbed in staring at her chest. "Uh... huh? Oh, right! Anything! You just come right over here and we'll go up into the base together... Then I'll help you find your uncle!"

She knew he had no such intention, but smiled stupidly and started to approach him, making sure to walk in a somewhat seductive manner. "Oh, thank you _so _much!" Tifa gushed, stepping in even closer to him as he pressed a button and opened the door to the lift, disarming the alarm in the process.

"Oh, anything for such a pretty la- Oof!"

The moment he turned his back to her to enter the lift, Tifa landed a firm roundhouse kick to the back of his head, sending him sprawling to the floor of the lift, completely unconscious. Tifa entered it and dragged his body the rest of the way inside, turning and signaling her teammates to hurry and join her before they were seen. A moment later, the entire group had rushed forward into the lift and closed the doors behind

them, officially beginning the invasion of Junon Harbor.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"Gimme me all your fours."

"Go fish."

"_Again?! _Shit... Aw, god dammit, nothing! Your turn."

"Okay. Give me all your jacks."

"Haha! Now YOU go fish! Sucker!"

"... Hmm. I fished my wish."

"Oh, fuck you! I _hate_ this game! I need another beer..."

Reno slapped the tabletop in annoyance, then nearly knocked his chair over as he quickly got up and stormed off toward the small refrigerator across the room. Rude quietly watched him go, then shrugged and returned to neatly laying his paired cards out in front of him, making Reno's one matching pair seem very lonely on the other side of the table, its only company a very full ashtray and several empty beer cans.

"You want another, too?" Reno called across the quarters they were currently sharing at Junon Harbor's military base, obviously not really mad at his best friend. Rude had a feeling he knew what had Reno in such a foul mood, and the amount of liquor he'd been consuming over the last several hours hadn't helped.

"Sure," Rude said, not even tipsy yet despite the three empty cans he had already disposed of. Reno had clearly not faired as well, staggering slightly as he removed two more cans from the refrigerator and began making his way back to the table. He even looked messier than usual, which for Reno was quite an accomplishment. In stark contrast to Rude's neat blue suit jacket, pants and perfectly pressed shirt and tie, Reno wore just his shirt, which was half unbuttoned, his jacket thrown carelessly over an extra chair nearby. His wild red hair was even more unruly than usual, hanging out of his careless pony tail in several place, and as always his tie was missing. Rude unconsciously straightened his own tie as he studied his friend, noticing that even the twin scars on his cheeks seemed more pronounced today.

"Here," Reno said, sliding Rude's beer across to him before shoving his empty cans off to the side to make room for his own, sending several of them clattering to the floor and making no move to retrieve them. Rude fought a strong urge to rise and quickly clean up the mess, but knew his neatness would not be appreciated at the moment. Reno carelessly flopped down into his chair, then opened his beer and took a long drink before heaving a sigh.

"Thanks, Reno," Rude said, carefully opening his can and taking a slow sip, cringing as he watched his friend spill several drops onto his already stained and wrinkled shirt.

"Yeah, don't mention it," Reno said, still sounding annoyed as he pulled a fresh cigarette from his pocket and lit it with his favorite lighter, a hot pink casing bearing the photo of a naked woman in a very suggestive position. Rude had given him the famed "Nudey Lighter" for his birthday one year, and he had never seen him use anything else to light up since. Rude felt a bit guilty about contributing to Reno's endless chain smoking, but he was convinced that no force on earth could get him to give up cigarettes, beer, or women, no matter how much damage he caused himself with his favorite vices.

"Want to keep playing?" Rude asked after a moment, watching him take a long drag, staring intently at his lighter though it appeared his mind was somewhere else. Rude's suspicion was confirmed a moment later.

"Fuck, this _pisses me off!_" Reno suddenly exploded, and Rude knew instantly what he meant without even asking. "Why the hell does _she _get to run around with Tseng on all the important assignments while we get left in fucking Junon Harbor 'awaiting our next orders?!' What the hell is up with that?! I've been a Turk for almost ten fucking years, and she just walks right in and takes my place at a time like this?!"

Midgar was about to come under attack, but Shin-ra's policy was to try to avoid placing all of their highly valuable Turks into a dangerous situation at the same time, in the event those sent were taken captive or killed. But Reno obviously thought it should have been _he_ and Tseng who had gone this time, and it had been eating at him ever since the orders were given out the night before.

"You said you already knew why he took Elena with him instead of you," Rude said calmly, sipping his beer again and watching his friend closely. Most of Reno's bad days went this way. He would brood and drink sullenly for hours, then slowly become more and more irritated until he exploded, his usually pale face bright red with fury and his ice blue eyes on fire. Rude, having always been a mild mannered man who often seemed to lack a temper or any other extreme emotions, never minded doing his duty as Reno's best friend and simply lending him an ear until he calmed down and went back to his usual fun-loving self.

"Yeah, 'cause he's _screwing_ her!" Reno exclaimed, shaking his head in irritation. "Hell, I wouldn't mind doin' her, either, but I wouldn't fuck over my long time friend and loyal fellow Turk for a chic! Especially not a blond chic."

"She is pretty, though," Rude said absently, having had something of a crush on the young recruit from the first time he saw her. But it was obvious that she and Tseng had had almost instant mutual feelings for each other, which had very clearly developed much further while she'd nursed him back to health following his serious injury at the Temple of the Ancients. So Rude did what he always did... silently remained in the background and remained ready to do whatever his boss and friends needed him to regardless of his own desires. They were his family, after all.

"Bah," Reno grumped, removing the cigarette from his mouth for only long enough to take another long drink. "She doesn't know _shit_..."

"Maybe that's why Tseng is taking her along," Rude said reasonably, watching as Reno began playing with his sun glasses on the tabletop. "Someone has to teach her things."

Reno burst out laughing at that. "Yeah... Tseng wants to teach her things all right!"

Rude cracked a smile, too, glad to see that his friend could still find humor in their situation. "That's _not_ what I meant."

"I know, but it's true!" Reno snickered and finished off the can in one long gulp, then returned to finishing his cigarette. "You know, I'm probably just jealous 'cause I don't have a nice girl who cares about me. I guess Tseng should get to enjoy it, even if it does get us left behind sometimes. You know, I've never so much as seen him look at a girl before Elena came along. And he _did_ almost buy the farm…" Reno sighed, and Rude knew from experience that he was returning to the earlier phase of brooding he'd been languishing in for most of the day. "Ah well... At least we got some time to hang out together, eh?"

"Right, Reno," Rude agreed, lifting his beer can for a toast, forgetting that Reno had just finished his. "To friends. To the Turks. To Reno!"

"Cheers!" Reno exclaimed at the familiar toast, lifting his nudey lighter in place of his empty drink and clanking it against Rude's can. As Rude took a long sip, Reno kissed his beloved lighter, then gently returned it to his pocket.

"Ah well, let's turn on the news and see if anything's being broadcast yet. I guess this isn't so ba-"

A loud crash interrupted his sentence, and both he and Rude were instantly on their feet and had drawn their guns without even thinking. "What the fuck was that?!" Reno exclaimed, glancing at Rude and then at the door that led out into one of the main hallways of the barracks.

"Sounded like a door being broken down," Rude said from experience, his weapon trained on their own. He instantly knew that it had to be the main door that led from the elevator shaft connected to the town below, a door that was supposed to be kept tightly locked and guarded by at least one armed man at all times.

"Well, it obviously ain't another fucking WEAPON, or we'd already be dead. So who the hell is busting in here?!"

"Let's go find out..."

Cautiously, Rude began to approach the door with obvious professionalism, his gun still pointed steadily ahead, Reno instinctively creeping after him and keeping his weapon trained on the same spot. Despite all the beer he had consumed, his hand was completely steady.

"On three..." Rude whispered, beginning a count down with his fingers for Reno to see. Reno nodded and took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for anything and instantly forgetting his frustrations in favor of the sudden call to duty. He watched as his friend lowered one finger after another until none remained, immediately leaping into action and rushing out into the hallway with his partner, both of them prepared to shoot whoever was out there.

Nothing could have prepared Reno for what was waiting for them in the hallway, however. His bloodshot blue eyes widened and his mouth dropped open before he could help it, gaping in shock for long moments before finally managing to compose himself. He forced a cocky smirk he didn't really feel onto his face and took a casual, confident stance beside Rude, who had hidden his shock a bit better behind his dark glasses. Each of them kept their guns aimed at the group who had broken down the door, though Reno knew now how useless those weapons would be.

"Well, look at this, Rude. Seems like we've got Avalanche in its entirety," Reno said, as casually as if he was discovering a group of old acquaintances instead of facing multiple dangerous enemies. Reno glanced at his partner and could tell from his expression that he was willing to do whatever he decided. Options rapidly passed through Reno's head as he and Rude stood their ground, their opponents staring back at them and not yet making any move to close the twenty or so feet between them. It took only a few seconds before Reno decided what had to be done.

"You know what..." Reno said quietly, lowering his gun and roughly slipping it back into his holster with obvious disgust. "_FUCK THIS!_" he exclaimed suddenly, spitting on the floor before him to express exactly how he felt about Junon Harbor. "They don't pay me enough to deal with this shit! If you fuckers want this dump, _take it!_ I'm not going to commit suicide trying to stop you. Have a _great_ fucking day!"

With that, Reno turned and stormed off down the hallway in the opposite direction, leaving a somewhat stunned Rude to stand alone facing the equally surprised Avalanche. After a long pause, he finally turned and casually walked off in the direction Reno had gone, looking back for only a moment before rounding the corner.

"There's cold beer in the fridge," he said, and then both he and Reno were gone in the bright flash of an Exit materia.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"Okay... What the fuck just happened?" Cid asked, still staring toward the place where the two Turks had vanished while he lit a cigarette.

"It seems that Reno is having a bad day," Red said, a feral smirk on his face.

"Apparently," Cloud said, edging forward to peer around the corner, making sure the two really had gone.

"Good fer nothin' lazy-ass Turks!" Barret exclaimed, stomping his foot in annoyance. "Won't even stay around and let us kick their asses just once!"

"Maybe they are simply intelligent and know when they are already beaten," Vincent said flatly, unable to help defending his old unit even after so much time and so many bad memories. Barret snorted and shook his head, clearly not believing him.

"Do you think there's really cold beer in the fridge?" Cid asked with a crooked grin, peering inside the Turks' abandoned room.

Yuffie did the same and spotted Reno's suit jacket still hanging on the back of a chair, dashing inside to grab it. She quickly slipped it on, modeling the garment that hung past her knees with a wide grin. "Look, I'm a Turk!" she exclaimed with a giggle, flashing the badge and ID pinned to the inside. "Eww, this thing smells like smoke…"

"I bet he catches hell for losing that," Cid snickered, as Yuffie continued searching through Reno's pockets for anything of value.

"Let's not question our good fortune too much, guys," Tifa said, and Cloud nodded in agreement. Tifa always made such good sense to him no matter what she said.

"This is a blessing from the Planet regardless of why they left," Aeris agreed, still staying very close to the Sephiroth as if she felt more secure as long as she had him close by to protect her from whatever awaited them farther inside.

"Right. Let's keep moving before they have time to alert Midgar and get reinforcements!"

With that, Cloud led the way around the corner and deeper into the barracks, continuing what was quite possibly Avalanche's most important and daring rebel mission ever.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Diamond WEAPON let out a great roar of satisfaction, sensing that the unnaturally large source of Mako energy it sought was not far away. Its mechanical red eyes flashed predatorily as it continued to stomp across the ocean floor, heading for the place its consciousness somehow knew was called Midgar. Soon, it would lay waste to the location and stop it from hurting the Planet. It would do what it was created for and stop the Planet's pain at all costs, no matter what forces might try and stop it. In its mind, it knew that the creatures known as humans were the source of the injury to the Planet, and that they had destroyed one of its kind already. But it felt no fear as it continued toward its goal. All that mattered was that the place called Midgar was hurting the Planet, and Diamond WEAPON fully intended to succeed in destroying it completely.


	4. Part Four: Takeover

_**Part Four: Takeover**_

Reno pulled out his PHS and selected the correct number from his speed dial settings. He held the device up to his ear, listening as it rang a few times before he heard the click of the line connecting, followed by a familiar voice.

"Yes?" Tseng asked, his tone calm and neutral as always. Reno had a feeling he was about to tax even their stoic leader's self control, however.

"Hey, boss, what's up?" Reno started, as if this was just another casual conversation. "How's Midgar? Looking WEAPONy yet?"

"What is it, Reno?" Tseng sounded a bit impatient, even preoccupied. No one appreciated good humor these days. Reno shook his head sadly.

"So you're never gonna guess what just happened," the red headed Turk continued, smirking as Rude rolled his eyes while listening in on his end of the conversation.

"Oh?" Now there was an ever so slight note of worry in his voice.

"So we're just sitting in our room in lovely Junon Harbor, minding our own business, right? When who decides to stop by but our good friends, Avalanche."

A long moment of silence. "What are they doing there?" Tseng asked, definitely sounding a bit concerned. Reno smirked, happy that for once his boss couldn't completely mask his feelings. But he hadn't yet heard the best part.

"Nothing much. Just _taking over the fucking base_."

"…. _What?!_" Ha! Now Reno _really _had him going. He had first exclaimed the word in Wutaiin, then quickly corrected himself.

"Thankfully, I had my Exit materia ready, so Rude and I were able to get away. Now we're stuck out here in the middle of fucking nowhere with no transportation, no supplies, no nothin'. But I figured you might wanna know so you can tell Rufus, even though he's kinda got bigger problems right now…"

There was another long pause. Reno could hear Elena's voice in the background, clearly wanting to know what was going on. "I will inform him." Without another word, Tseng severed the connection, leaving Reno to lower the PHS from his ear and stare at it.

"He took that well," Reno shrugged, returning the device to his pants pocket.

"What now, Reno?" Rude asked, looking around the vast plains of wilderness that surrounded them.

"Start walking, partner! I don't think there's gonna be anyone available to come and get us any time soon."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Professor Hojo paused just outside the closed door to Rufus Shin-ra's office, taking a deep breath to steady his shaking. He had to admit, for once in his life, he was actually afraid. He knew exactly why he'd been summoned there, and was more than a little worried he was about to be fired… or fired at. It wouldn't do to be caught standing out there like a coward, though, so he lifted one gnarled hand and knocked three times.

"_ENTER!_"

Yes, the President did indeed sound unhappy…

Pausing just a moment longer, the elderly scientist turned the doorknob and slowly entered the office, finding his employer sitting behind a large, cluttered desk. He was wearing a deep scowl, and his ice blue eyes were shooting daggers right in his direction.

"Close the door," Rufus said, the chill in his voice making Hojo shiver. That was definitely not a good sign.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Hojo inquired, trying to sound casual. He shuffled his feet a bit, stuffing his hands deep into the pockets of his long white lab coat. Rufus laughed, a low, frightening sound devoid of humor.

"Sit down."

Hojo immediately moved forward and took the chair across from Rufus, even though he was nearly quaking. He removed his hands from his coat and folded them tightly in his lap, peering across the desk through his thick glasses and forcing a smile.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, his voice overly sweet, wanting to be able to walk back out the door after this meeting, preferably without holes shot through him.

"_WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME?!_" Rufus exploded, causing Hojo to lean back so far into his chair that he nearly tipped it over. "Are you kidding me?! We have a WEAPON headed right for us, and I have no way to stop it and keep Midgar from being _completely destroyed_, all because _YOU _fired the fucking Junon Cannon on that god damn energy barrier without my permission! What can you _DO _for me?"

"Sir, I-"

"_SHUT UP! _I'm talking!" Rufus thundered, his face red with anger.

Hojo instantly closed his mouth.

"I am going to lose most, if not _all_, of this city because of your _stupid_ obsession with creating mentally unstable super beings," Rufus went on, his voice now a frighteningly cold near-whisper. "My father may have tolerated it, but I won't any longer! Give me _one damn good reason _why I shouldn't fire you right now and have you thrown in with those specimens of yours!"

Hojo shifted nervously in his seat, trying to control his bladder and his facial expression at the same time. "Well, I… may have an idea about how we can stop the WEAPON," he began cautiously, eyeing the gun he could see just beneath Rufus' pristine white suit jacket.

"Do tell." Rufus both looked and sounded extremely skeptical, smirking across his desk at the diminutive old man as if preparing to devour him.

"According to my research, this is the creature known as Diamond WEAPON," Hojo began, more confident once he was back to discussing scientific matters. "It can't be harmed with physical attacks, so all the troops on the Planet won't be able to touch it."

"I already _know _that!" Rufus bellowed, his hand slipping just a bit closer to his holster.

"Yes, yes, but I think I have a way we can still damage it without using the cannon!" Hojo quickly interjected, sensing that each second that passed moved him closer to death.

"Then spit it out before I do something unpleasant."

Hojo cleared his throat, trying not to squirm under the hateful gaze. "Would it be possible for me to gain access to the rocket launchers on the rooftop?" he asked, watching as Rufus blinked for a moment, then rolled his eyes.

"You can't seriously be telling me to fire a bunch of little rockets at this thing! And you _just _said that physical attac-"

"If I may explain?" Hojo interrupted, holding up one hand and regaining some of his usual arrogance as he thought of how close-minded and dense his boss was. Rufus sighed heavily and continued to glare, but nodded stiffly. "You are still storing that green piece of Huge Materia we took from North Corel here in the building, yes?"

"Yes…" Rufus still looked clueless. Such a pity… His father had been a much smarter man in Hojo's opinion. At least he had stopped yelling for the time being and was listening more intently.

"It is extremely powerful as you know, highly volatile…. and completely magical in nature. If I were able to attach it somehow to one of our defense rockets, and we fired it directly at the WEAPON's weakest point… I believe the resulting explosion would be enough to badly disable it, if not destroy it completely." Hojo was quite pleased with himself, almost giddy now as he thought over his plan. He was a genius, and now he was going to be a hero on top of it! All of Midgar would soon worship him.

Rufus was silent for a long time, his expression slowly changing from angry, to skeptical, to thoughtful. "You… really think that would work?" he asked hopefully, looking at Hojo with a lot less hatred and maybe just a touch of admiration.

"Absolutely, sir," Hojo assured him, though in reality he was far less certain. But first and foremost in his mind was saving his job and possibly his life, protecting Midgar a distant second. "If the Junon Cannon was able to destroy a WEAPON even before my modifications, the power of this explosion should easily do the job."

"And if I give you access to the rocket launchers and the Huge Materia, you can do this within…" Rufus glanced upward, checking the time. "Two hours?"

"Yes, sir," Hojo continued to assure him, hoping he sounded as confident of that fact as he did not actually feel. "It will be simple, really."

Rufus sighed heavily, briefly pausing to rub his eyes as if he was suddenly very tired. "Very well… I will give you the access you require. But know this, you creepy old lunatic…" Rufus lowered his voice to a cold whisper, narrowing his eyes threatening and leaning across the desk toward Hojo. "If you screw this up, I will personally blow your brains out all over that disgusting lab of yours. Are we understood?"

"Y-yes sir!" Hojo stammered, shakily getting to his feet, anxious to escape while he still could. "We need to hurry. If I begin now, I should have everything prepared just as the WEAPON enters firing range."

Rufus started to get up from his chair when his PHS rang. He picked it up and looked down to see who was interrupting him at such a time, immediately raising an eyebrow with concern. Hojo paused in the doorway to eavesdrop.

"Hello, Tseng. What do you have to report?"

Hojo watched as Rufus frowned, his eyes slowly widening as his face gradually went from red to very, very pale.

"THEY DID _WHAT?!"_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

It didn't take long for Avalanche to round up the forty-two SOLDIERs who remained in the barracks and the few other Shin-ra employees present on base. They had split up and run a thorough sweep through the building and surrounding facilities, checking several times to be sure they hadn't missed anyone. Once they had their captives lined up two-by-two and thoroughly shocked and intimidated into obedience, Cloud led them out onto Main Street, reminded of the parades he had watched during the holidays in Nibelheim. With his team spread out behind him and closely guarding their captives, he started toward the brig at the far end of the base.

As they walked, something strange began to happen. All around them, the civilians and business owners who lived and worked on base began to appear in doorways and windows along the street. Cloud became concerned, noting that most of his teammates had tensed and were looking around with alert eyes. But just when he thought they were about to start an uprising, a loud cheer broke out, then another, followed by many more.

"YEAH! Get those jerks out of here!" a woman yelled from the doorway of a large tavern. "They never tip!" she added, throwing an empty beer can right at one of the SOLDIERs and hitting him in the shoulder. He winced, eyes wide with alarmed, and most of the other young men were soon looking around in fear, convinced that they were about to be lynched.

"They charge us ridiculous taxes!" a man shouted from a balcony high above the street.

"They pollute everything!" a teenage girl added from the roadside. "And they even don't care!"

"DOWN WITH SHIN-RA!"

There was more loud cheering, and several people began pelting the SOLDIERs with garbage and small rocks. Cloud ducked, not exactly thrilled with their method of showing their support, but relieved and very glad the civilians on the base were behind them and not about to offer resistance. The SOLDIERs were ready to panic, and several looked as if they might be preparing to run for it, but soon thought better of it when faced with nine armed members of Avalanche.

"Wow. I didn't realize so many civilians lived here, or that they hated Shin-ra so much," Tifa said from his side, looking around in awe as a banana peel barely missed her head.

"Me neither… but it's a really lucky break," Cloud said. "Things may be a lot easier than we thought from here on out."

"I do sort of wish they'd stop throw-" she paused, sidestepping as an apple core whizzed by, "-ing crap at us, though." Still, she couldn't help but laugh when the SOLDIER directly in front of her was suddenly drenched by a water balloon.

"Let's speed it up!" Cloud shouted back to his team, quickening the pace as they marched the SOLDIERs through town, most now keeping their heads down and almost glad to have Avalanche 'protecting' them from the jeering townspeople. He wanted to reach the brig before things really got out of hand, the involvement of so many civilians not something they had planned for in detail.

Thankfully, they soon reached their goal and were safely out of firing range. The SOLDIERs seemed almost relieved as they were led inside, Cloud herding them a few at a time into the small cells as the rest of the group remained spread out down the line. Several began protesting loudly as the metal bars slammed shut on their comrades, and eventually three of the largest men broke out of line, defiantly refusing to enter the cell when their time arrived.

"Get in there!" Cloud shouted, doing his best to sound intimidating. He pulled himself to his full, unimpressive height, stepping in a bit closer to the man who seemed to be the ring leader. He could feel the eyes of the others upon him, trying to decide if they ought to resist as well. He knew it was important that he win this battle of wills, or the entire group might decide to revolt.

"Fuck you," the young man smirked, folding his arms over his broad chest.

"I said… GET IN THERE!" Cloud tried again, drawing his weapon threateningly.

"Make me, runt." Some of the other SOLDIERs began to laugh, and the rest of Avalanche seemed unsure of whether or not to step in or let their leader try to handle it on his own.

"You heard him. Get. In. The. Cell."

From the rear of the group and nearly unnoticed, Sephiroth had silently moved forward, stopping just inches from the trouble-maker before he spoke. Slowly, he moved his hand to rest on the hilt of his sword, wearing his best intimidating glare once the man turned to face him. "Do not make me hurt you."

The man's mouth dropped open and all of the color drained instantly from his face. Ever so slowly, he stepped backwards in terror until he was pressed against the far wall of the cell. When faced with a legend thought long dead directly threatening him, all of his previous bravado was suddenly gone, leaving him quaking in his boots.

"Shit!" one of his friends exclaimed, quickly following after. "Please don't kill us!"

Sephiroth simply smirked, never even needing to draw his weapon, his presence alone enough to inspire obedience. "A wise decision," he said with a final threatening glare, nodding to Cloud before returning to his position further down the line.

"Thanks…" Cloud muttered, turning a bit red and trying to ignore a few snickers he knew were coming from his own teammates. Soon, all of the SOLDIERs were locked firmly behind bars, most casting wary looks in Sephiroth's direction as they passed him. None of them even dared to speak again.

After checking to be sure all of the cells were firmly locked, Cloud led his team toward the exit, a very large and important stage of their invasion successfully completed. They would return to deal with the SOLDIERs later, once the base was secured. They had not yet determined exactly what they would do with them, having decided to wait and see how Shin-ra responded to their actions. The captive men might come in handy.

"Okay!" he said once they were back outside, doing his best to forget about his most recent embarrassment at the hands of Sephiroth. "Cid, go ahead and call your pilots… Have them land as we discussed so you and Shera can get started on the shield generator. We don't have much time until the Turks notify Midgar and reinforcements start heading our way."

"They likely cannot spare anyone at the moment," Red said, trying to diffuse the tension he could feel radiating from his teammates at the thought. "We have time to prepare."

"As soon as they deal with the WEAPON, I have no doubt they will want to take back their base. And they will not hesitate to use extreme measures," Vincent said quietly, ever the pessimist. Sephiroth nodded in agreement, as of he'd inherited the trait.

"We'll be ready and waiting!" Barret exclaimed with complete confidence, full of adrenaline and energy.

"I sure hope the damn thing works," Cid muttered, pulling his PHS from his jacket pocket. "Cuz if it doesn't, we're screwed."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Elena made her way up a stone path leading out of the slums, relieved to be exiting the worst of the area. She did her best to keep a brave face, but coming from a very small town, the crowds and filth were something she would probably never get used to. Even Upper Midgar still overwhelmed her, and the poverty-stricken and crime-infested neighborhoods suffocating beneath the grand plate were far more frightening and dangerous.

She remained several steps behind the dark-haired man she followed, feeling unsure of herself and how she ought to act. She had known him for about a year now, but suddenly everything had changed. This was his first official assignment after nearly being killed by Zack in the Temple of the Ancients, and her first serving as his partner since her boss had become her lover.

The briefing had gone well enough, she comforted herself. They'd stood together in Rufus' office as he ranted and raved about Avalanche and ordered them to head into the slums of Midgar on an important mission. Elena had been careful to keep more than the distance needed between she and Tseng, and she hadn't so much as looked at him while the President yelled. For his part, Tseng had once again effortlessly thrown the switch and donned his impenetrable mask of professionalism, something that often left Elena both frustrated and envious.

Now there they were, alone, heading for the quaint little house set far up the path ahead. Elena always got nervous in the field, tending to be a bit hyperactive, and also still quite new to the Turks and their line of work. The additional strain of having to hide her new relationship, and not knowing how she ought to act around the man she loved while they were on duty, was almost enough to drive her mad.

"I hope they won't try anything foolish," Tseng said suddenly, turning to look back at her over his shoulder. Elena felt herself get a little weak in the knees as she briefly met his dark eyes, the sound of his calm voice with its endearing accent enough to make her almost forget where they were and why they had been sent. "I'm not looking forward to the possibility of having to use force on a woman and small child…"

"Y-yeah," she heard herself stammer, already feeling like a fool and quickly looking down at her boots, her face flushing crimson. "Me neither."

"It's difficult to talk to someone who's walking behind you," he added. Though his expression and tone remained completely neutral, Elena detected just the slightest hint of warmth in his voice, something no one else would ever have noticed.

"I'm sorry, Tseng- I mean, _sir_! I mean… uh…"

Now she felt her face turn very, very red. _Oh gods… I am _such_ an idiot._

When she dared to looked up again, she saw that Tseng had stopped to let her catch up with him, watching her with what might have been a smirk fighting to break free from the mask.

"It's only you and I, Elena. You can relax a little."

She took a deep breath and then slowly released it, doing her best to sound casual as she reached his side. "How are you feeling?" she asked, desperate to get the attention off of her before she died of embarrassment.

"I am fine," he answered instantly, reflexively lifting a hand to his chest, around which he still wore protective padding beneath his clothing. It had been a deep, ugly wound, and though it was now closed, he was left with an angry scar that ran from just below his left shoulder across much of his torso. The area remained highly sensitive, and he could not stand to have the stiff material of his dress shirt up against it. If he were to take another blow to the area, it could well be fatal, and Elena could not help but feel extremely protective of him. "Please don't worry about me."

Elena studied him closely, unable to help but recall just how close to death he had come. When she had entered the Temple of the Ancients with Reno and Rude and found him there, she had fallen apart. She'd never seen someone so gravely injured before, or so much blood spilled from a single person. The fact that she'd had feelings for Tseng from nearly the moment she met him only compounded her grief. The Temple had started to collapse shortly after, and they were able to carry him outside and summon help in time to save his life.

Back in Junon Harbor, Tseng had spent several weeks in the medical center before being released. Elena told herself that she volunteered to care for him simply because he had no one else, and because she had some experience nursing after the sick since she had so many younger siblings. The true reason went far deeper. When she had thought he might die, she realized her feelings for him went far beyond a simple crush or physical attraction. There had been several times in the recent past where they had shared a meal, or spent an evening going over an assignment, and their eyes would meet… and Elena could have sworn she saw the same emotions reflected back in the older man's eyes. But Tseng was notoriously private and hard to read, and he also knew it was against policy for him to be involved with one of his subordinates. He was always so in control of himself, something Elena had never managed very well.

While she helped him recover, however, he'd been a bit more open, sharing more information about himself than she'd ever thought he would. As they spent night after night together, Tseng barely able to get out of bed, Elena knew she had fallen deeply in love with him, and the feeling was only becoming more intense the longer she spent by his side. Still, she could not read him… until one evening, as she prepared to leave for her own quarters, he had kissed her.

Elena blushed when she recalled her reaction. The kiss was everything she had wanted, everything she hoped for. When it ended and she looked into his eyes, she could finally see all of the emotions he had done his best to conceal for so long. She found herself so shocked, and so overwhelmed, that she had fled the room without another word.

She worked up the nerve to return the next day because he still needed her, she told herself. When she arrived, she found him out of bed and dressed for the first time since his injury, instantly taken in by how attractive he was and nearly unable to speak. For once, he had done most of the talking, insisting that they come clean with one another and stop denying what was by then painfully obvious. Elena had poured out her heart and confessed her love for him, and though he said little in return, she could see it in his eyes and feel it when they touched. They made love that night, and she thought she had died and gone to heaven. He was her first, and he was every bit as gentle and considerate as she dreamed. The words came later for him, but when they did she knew he meant them. When Tseng shared a part of himself, it came from his soul.

Elena was quite sure Reno and Rude knew exactly what was going on between them, but it was extremely important that she protect their secret from everyone else. Tseng had a powerful position that was the envy of many below him, and he had worked with the company for years, often at the risk of his life. He was a career man, nearly fifteen years her senior, and she didn't want to do anything to hurt him. But as dangerous as the relationship was, neither of them ever entertained the thought of walking away.

"You look so much better," Elena couldn't help but comment as she studied him, so relieved and amazed that he was back on his feet at all. "You'd never know what happened to look at you now."

"Unless I have my shirt off," he said quietly, less than pleased with his gift from Zack.

"That hardly matters. You're alive to tell the tale," she assured him. In her eyes, he would always be perfect.

Tseng paused then, and Elena stopped at his side. Without needing to use words, he was telling her it was time to focus on task at hand. He checked his firearm, and she did the same, hoping they wouldn't need to use them. The house just up ahead was quiet, and no lights shone from inside any the windows. Tseng moved ahead first, approaching the door cautiously, still scanning the surrounding area. Elena followed, concentrating fully on their mission and on keeping both of them safe, watching his back as both his partner and his lover.

Tseng lifted a hand and rang the doorbell, a tense minute passing without any response. He tried again, then also knocked firmly several times. Still, nothing. He next tried the doorknob, finding it to be firmly locked. He paused a moment in thought, studying the door before him.

"One more time, then we will have to force the door."

Elena nodded, waiting as he again rang the bell and waited. When the house remained silent, Tseng motioned for her to step back, then expertly kicked in the door as if he had done it hundreds of times. Perhaps he had.

Tseng had drawn his gun as he stepped into the main living area of the home, and Elena copied him as she followed. He gestured for her to go left as he moved to check the right side and second level of the house for inhabitants. The building seemed deserted, but one never assumed. It was a lesson he had taught her well.

Elena crept down a narrow hallway that ended in what appeared to be the master bedroom. The door was open, and she stepped inside and quickly made sure no one was there. A large closet was wide open and appeared rummaged through as if someone was searching for something in a hurry. The same was true of the dresser and cedar chest at the foot of the bed. It was instantly clear what must have happened as she looked around at the mess… They were too late.

When she returned to the main room of the house, Tseng was already there, shaking his head to let her know he hadn't found anyone, either. "They aren't here," he said unnecessarily, holstering his gun beneath his suit jacket and letting a touch of relief slip into his voice as he visibly relaxed.

"It looks like they left in a hurry, too," Elena added, tucking her own weapon safely away. "All the drawers and everything in the bedroom are open like someone was going through them. Packing, maybe?"

"Rufus does not give Avalanche nearly enough credit," Tseng agreed with a nod. "They knew Elmyra and Marlene were far too tempting as bargaining chips once they invaded Junon Harbor, so they came and got them beforehand. How… unfortunate."

Elena looked up at Tseng with a slight smile, tilting her head curiously. "You don't sound exactly disappointed… You're glad they're gone, aren't you?" she asked softly, lightly placing one hand on his upper arm.

Tseng sighed, and when he again met her eyes he was no longer her boss, or the leader of the Turks, but simply the man she loved. "Yes… I have known Elmyra for years. And the idea of kidnapping a child… it doesn't sit well with me, no matter what the purpose."

"And that is why I love you," Elena said, surprising him by stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss him passionately. He held her close and returned the kiss for long moments, but when he stepped back he was again all business, clearing his throat and checking the time on his PHS as if nothing had happened.

"We need to get back to Headquarters before the WEAPON arrives… though I do not look forward to informing Rufus that his hostages have gone missing."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

After the rather difficult task of removing the shield generator from the Highwind, Shera debarked and joined Avalanche on the base, carrying a battered metal tool box. Sephiroth was again called upon to carry the device, directed to the large main generator for the base, which was housed in a small building adjacent to the brig. Once he had set it down inside in the position Cid indicated, everyone stepped back and watched as the pilot and his assistant got to work.

"Okay… first we gotta connect it to the main power source," Cid said, mostly talking to himself as he popped opened the main panel on the side of the shield generator. Shera reached inside the tool box and handed him a thick power cord and a wrench, kneeling down beside him to watch.

Sephiroth and Vincent had positioned themselves on either side of the doorway, keeping watch to be sure none of the civilians decided to stop by and see what was going on. Yuffie and Barret were restless and full of nervous energy, neither seeming able to stand still, moving about the room erratically. Aeris stood against a wall with Red, nervously chewing on her bottom lip as she prayed Cid and Shera would get the generator running in time.

Cid worked quickly, attaching the power cord first to the shield generator, and then running it to the main energy supply for the base. When he had firmly tightened the connections, he turned to Shera and nodded.

"Go ahead and see if it'll fire up," he told her, watching hopefully as she took the remote control in hand and pushed a few buttons. The tension in the room reached new heights as everyone stopped and stared at her, desperately willing the device to come to life.

"Um…. is it working?" Tifa asked after a moment of anxious silence, though the generator remained dark and silent.

"No…" Cid frowned, looking a bit frustrated and confused. "Shera, are you pushing the right god damn buttons?"

"_Yes. _I'm not stupid, you know…"

"I didn't _say _that…" he sighed, glaring at the few members of his party who were attempting to smother laughter. "Keep trying… It's got power, so it should fucking start right up!"

"Well…. it isn't," Shera said, repeatedly pushing the correct buttons on the remote.

"Shit," Cloud muttered under his breath, watching with concern in his blue eyes as nothing continued to happen. If they had come this far and accomplished so much only to have the generator fail, he wasn't sure _what_ they were going to do. Stay and try to defend the base anyway? Run away and let Shin-ra have the last laugh? He started to massage his temples, grinding his teeth.

"Let me see that," Cid demanded, standing and practically yanking the remote out of Shera's hands. As he started pushing the exact same buttons she had been, Shera took his place kneeling in front of the open control panel, beginning to tentatively poke around inside.

"Dis is not good," Barret said, his earlier enthusiasm quickly fading. The large man now stood very rigid and tense, watching Cid intently as if willing him to figure out what was wrong.

Yuffie began to bite her nails, shifting her weight constantly and watching the drama before her with rising alarm. Red's tail had begun to nervously flick back and forth every few seconds, though he otherwise managed to appear calm. Sephiroth and Vincent exchanged glances in the doorway, silently communicating their shared fear that they were about to be left defenseless against the entire Shin-ra army. Aeris had closed her eyes and begun to pray in earnest, her hands clasped together in front of her.

"I think I see what might be wrong," Shera said thoughtfully, disconnecting two small wires from inside the panel and studying them closely, frowning in concentration.

"FUCK!" Cid exclaimed, forcefully pounding on the buttons by now. "This is fucking unreal! It worked _fine_ before!"

"Wait a minute…" Shera said calmly, ignoring his outburst and the rising tension in the room as she continued to study the innards of the device.

"Um, if you can't get this thing running, we're sitting ducks," Cloud interjected, beginning to pace nervously.

"I fucking _realize_ that!" Cid exclaimed, taking the back off the remote and looking inside accusingly. "Shut the hell up!"

Cloud fumed but didn't reply, wanting the pilot to focus on the problem. He looked across the room to Tifa, shrugging helplessly, seeing the worry in her eyes and wishing he could do something to reassure her. But he was quickly losing hope himself.

"If this doesn't work, Shin-ra is gonna send their entire army down here and massacre us," Yuffie whispered to Barret, hopping from one foot to the other with nervous energy. The big man grunted his agreement, his expression grave as he ran his good hand back over the top of his head.

"I've got it!" Shera exclaimed, quickly reconnecting the two small wires in the opposite position.

"Fucking piece of shit!" Cid exclaimed at the same moment, forcefully kicking the side of the machine. As he connected, the shield generator suddenly jumped to life, lighting up and making a loud humming sound as it gained power.

"Yes!" Shera exclaimed, hopping to her feet with a wide grin. "I fixed it!" She almost sounded surprised.

Cid stared at her, stunned, having thought for a second that it was his attack that had gotten it started. "What the hell did you do?" he asked, his blues eyes wide.

"Two of the wires were backwards," she said, looking triumphant and just a little smug. "I guess someone made a mistake when they reconnected everything." She knew full well that Cid had done it, and he turned beet red before grinning crookedly.

"I'll be damned…"

Before she could react, Cid stepped forward and grabbed a hold of Shera, lifting her off of her feet and kissing her passionately. "That is so hot," he whispered, setting her back down and clearing his throat before turning to glare at the others. Yuffie burst out laughing, and almost everyone else was staring and doing their best to smother laughter and wide smiles.

"What the fuck are you all looking at?!" he demanded, hands on his hips. Shera was bright red with embarrassment but grinning from ear to ear. "Someone step outside… I'm going to try to put the shield up!"

Yuffie and Red quickly headed out the door and onto the street, waving to Cid when they were in a good position to watch. Sephiroth and Vincent remained in the doorway, but their eyes were now trained on the sky instead of the quiet street.

"Okay…. here goes!" Cid exclaimed, pushing the largest red button on the remote control and tensing as if he half expected something bad to happen.

Outside, as if by magic, an enormous yellow-green bubble appeared high above the Planet, extending around the entirety of Junon Harbor base and town. It looked almost like a very high domed ceiling, but one could still see through it to the sky above.

"YEAH! It works!" Yuffie exclaimed, giving Cid two thumbs up and excitedly jumping up and down. Even Red performed a little leap of joy before catching himself and nodding serenely. Sephiroth made a small sound of disbelief, and while Vincent remained silent and nearly expressionless, his posture relaxed ever so slightly.

Inside, the tension quickly evaporated, replaced by relief and celebration. Aeris finally opened her eyes and smiled across the room at her husband, and Tifa ran to Cloud and embraced him fiercely. Cid was so happy he hugged Shera again, looking at her with something like admiration for perhaps the first time. Barret pumped a fist in the air and grinned like a fool, thrilled that his rebel team had actually pulled this off.

"Well, hot damn, kids," Cid said, lighting a cigarette in celebration. "Looks like we get to keep this dump after all!"

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Hojo paced back and forth atop the roof of Shin-ra Headquarters, his hands clasped behind his back. Any moment now, Diamond WEAPON would come into firing range, and he would find out whether or not Rufus was going to kill him before Midgar was destroyed.

"Are you sure it's ready?" he asked Heidegger for possibly the tenth time, his normally whiney voice even more annoying than usual. Heidegger turned and glared at him, his dark eyes flashing with irritation.

"How many more times do I need to tell you, Professor?" the big man nearly snarled, holding his position beside the designated rocket launcher. The rocket that had been altered to carry the Huge Materia was already prepared, loaded and ready to fire. He had checked and rechecked it multiple times at the scientist's prompting, and refused to do it again. He'd never liked the creepy little man, and taking orders from him was absolutely nauseating.

"I just need to make sure!" Hojo exclaimed, pushing his glasses back up his nose as he returned the glare. "I have _one_ chance to get this right…"

"I've been in the military long enough to know how to fire a rocket," Heidegger snorted, still fuming that Rufus had forced him to assist the old man. Now if he was wrong about this entire crazy plan, it'd be Heidegger's ass on the line as well. And he somehow knew that if it actually succeeded, he'd be getting none of the credit.

"I certainly hope so…" The words sounded like a threat, and Heidegger rolled his eyes behind the much smaller man's back as he continued his pacing.

Suddenly, a nearby console beeped loudly, and the SOLDIER manning it turned to Hojo, his eyes wide with anxiety. "Here it comes!" he exclaimed, looking up and peering into the distance.

For long moments, nothing was visible… then suddenly, the faint outline of something very large came into view in the distance. As the minutes ticked by, its outline became more and more clear, and soon glowing red eyes could be seen, looking right in their direction.

"Holy shit," Heidegger swore, taken in by just how large the creature was. Somehow, the threat hadn't been real until he saw it with his own eyes, and he was suddenly filled with doubt that anything could stop the monstrosity from killing them all and destroying the entire city.

"How long until it's in firing range?" Hojo demanded, leaning over the young SOLDIER's shoulder to stare at the instruments, invading his personal space but not caring.

"Thirty seconds, sir," he replied, his voice trembling. "Are you sure we can really stop this thing? My family is-"

"_Quiet!_" Hojo shouted at him, nearly shoving him out of his chair and taking over the main console. "Get the hell out of here!" The SOLDIER wasted no time complying, hurrying to the stairwell and down from the roof. The few others who were present did the same, clearly frightened and not wishing to watch as the huge creature lumbered toward them.

Heidegger got into position, adjusting the aim of the rocket launcher and preparing to fire. He tried to ignore the nervous trembling in his hands, and the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. This was it… the moment they'd find out if they all lived, or died trying.

"On my command," Hojo said, turning to Heidegger for just a moment before staring at the instruments again, watching as the WEAPON stepped into firing range, oblivious to what was about to happen. "Ten… nine… eight…"

The countdown felt like the longest ten seconds of Heidegger's life as he stood ready. Then finally, it was time.

"FIRE!" Hojo shouted, rising from his chair in anticipation and leaning forward with both palms resting on the console top. Heidegger braced himself and launched the rocket, nearly thrown to the ground by the force despite his size.

Hojo held his breath and watched as the rocket streaked across the sky, heading directly for the center of the WEAPON's body. It took only moments to reach it, and when it did there was an enormous explosion, the sky lighting up with brilliant shades of green as a deafening boom filled the air. When the air had cleared and they were able to look ahead from their position on the roof, they watched as the WEAPON suddenly stopped moving, staggered, then finally fell over backwards with an earth-moving crash. A moment later, there were several additional, smaller explosions, tall plumes of smoke rising from the unmoving creature.

"Haha! _I did it!_" Hojo exclaimed. He hopped up and down several times, spun in a circle, and performed a hip thrust in the general direction of Diamond WEAPON's corpse. "Take that, you overgrown toaster!"

"I'm leaving…" Heidegger muttered, watching Hojo's display in revulsion and wanting to get as far away as possible as soon as he could. He was relieved that they had been successful, but he'd had more than enough of his vile coworker for one day. He definitely needed a cold beer or three and figured Scarlet would probably be eager to join him.

"I'm a genius! I saved the city!" Hojo continued to shout, still dancing about on the rooftop. "Let's see if Rufus insults me now! He _OWES ME!_ Hahahaha!"

Hojo whooped with glee once more, then turned and hurried down the stairs as fast as he aged legs could take him, determined to find Rufus and rub in his success. He was definitely going to make sure he and his Science Department benefited from his actions.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

A short time later, Rufus Shin-ra stood before the floor-to-ceiling screen in the main operations area of Headquarters, his relief over the destruction of Diamond WEAPON fading quickly as he watched in horror and disbelief.

"Hello. This is Cloud Strife, broadcasting to you from the free city of Junon Harbor. I hope the WEAPON didn't do too much damage to your city, Rufus," the blond boy said, reading from a piece of paper he held in his hands. "You won't be able to get your base back, so don't waste your time. Go ahead and take a look if you don't believe me."

"Can't you do something to stop this?!" Rufus shrieked to his aids, watching as they frantically pushed buttons at the control console, attempting to interrupt the broadcast.

"No, sir… I'm sorry, but the energy put out by the Huge Materia seems to have fried several of our internal systems," a nervous technician replied, his voice shaking ever so slightly.

"So what you're telling me… is that these filthy _rebels_ managed to hack into our broadcast frequency and are currently sending this message _all over the fucking Planet?!_"

"Uh… y-yes sir," another technician stammered, still furiously poking at the instruments before him. "We're trying everything we can to get our systems back online so we can attempt to jam the signal."

Rufus stood fuming, grinding his teeth as he helplessly watched the screen.

"Our purpose here is to oppose Shin-ra Incorporated," Strife went on, glancing down at his notes every few words and looking rather uncomfortable. "We will bring you the truth about what they do to people just like you, and to our Planet. We want to stop the evils they commit, stop the pollution, and help those they have already harmed. If you have suffered at the hands of Shin-ra and feel the same way we do, please feel free to come and join us!"

This was bad. Very, very bad. Rufus wanted to turn away, but like an onlooker at a violent car crash, he found he simply could not stop watching. He noticed that the other members of Avalanche were gathered just behind Cloud, all looking rather smug. His eyes were drawn to the smallest of them, a petite Wutaiin girl, who was holding up a sign that read "Hi, Dad!" And that dirty pilot from Rocket Town was there, too, casually smoking a cigarette as if he hadn't a care in the world. How Rufus hated each and every one of them! They would pay _dearly_ for this!

As if hearing his thoughts, Rufus watched in disbelief as a smirking Sephiroth slowly raised one gloved hand, seemed to look directly at him, and waved. _Waved!_ He was mocking him! He, Rufus Shin-ra, the most powerful man on the Planet! Rufus growled, and with one swift motion, reached inside his jacket and removed his firearm. A second later, everyone in the room hit the deck as he emptied his clip into the viewing screen, completely destroying it.

"Sir, now we can't even-"

"SHUT UP!" Rufus bellowed, storming into his private office and slamming the door behind him. Suddenly, his victory against the WEAPON didn't taste so sweet, and he was left to wonder if the cost had been far too high after all.

_**~ The End ~**_

* * *

><p>((<strong>Author's Notes: <strong>And here concludes the three part storyline of _Irony of Fate_, but the adventure is far from over! To continue following the main plotline of my AU, you'll next want to read _Life After Death_, followed by _On My Honor_, then _Transformations_. As of 2012, I began actively writing again, so there are lots of new one shots and drabbles/challenges, and a huge new multi-chapter fic that advances things further is in the works for 2013. Thanks so much! ~ _JenesisX _))


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